The King's Last Words
by The Young Old Timer
Summary: After the late king's will is written, great lords all over Hyrule fight a war for the crown jewel: Hyrule Castle, and with it, the continent. A tale of love, revenge, and sacrifice is weaved in the story as Zelda fights for her crown, a boy struggles for his parent's love, and darkness clouds over the world, threatening to consume Hyrule, and its inhabitants.
1. The King's Last Words

**Summary:**

Three years after the war of Twilight, Zelda's father wrote his final will on his deathbed. The contents of this will spark a rebellion in the west, by the mayor of Kakariko, Lord Seto, against the royal family. As the war between Hyrule Castle and Kakariko rages on, different nobles join in the conflict in their attempts to win Hyrule Castle. Queen Zelda must not only fight for her right to the crown of Hyrule, but she must also fight for her life as she becomes the primary target across Hyrule. Across the sea, in Termina, the son of the king there struggles for his parent's approval. He does anything to warrant their love, and prove that he is the rightful heir to Termina. Meanwhile, dark forces amass in the east, led by the king of darkness, intent on avenging Ganondorf. The only thing that stops his conquest of Hyrule is a single hero with the name of Link. With Hyrule perilously in the balance, Link must bring Zelda back to the throne and defeat the king of darkness.

In my mind, a main thing you might find interesting is the suspense. Contradictory to most Legend of Zelda FanFictions, Link and Zelda are NOT the main characters, and are just as important as everybody else. It's one big battle to be the king/queen, and anybody could die. Anyone.

Author's Notes:

Thanks for reading! This is my first story, and I'm hoping that you'll enjoy it. If you enjoyed this story, then please review it. If it was not up to your standards, I'd love to have constructive critisicm so that I can improve.

This story follows Twilight Princess' story.

I'd like to note that there is character death in this story (both canon and OC). Some of the deaths _are_ of major characters, so be advised.

Finally, I will be referencing all Hylians as humans in this story. As a result, people in Hyrule City are noted as Hylians, and so are soldiers.

* * *

**CHAPTER 1**

**The King's Last Words**

* * *

**I**

**Hyrule Castle**

They say that rain is most beautiful when the world -everything else- fits the mood; dark and grey.

_If so, then today is truly beautiful_, Zelda thought to herself, clutching Link's arm. She wanted to cry, to weep in to the shoulder of the man who always protected her. But crying would make her look weak, even now.

She tilted her head back to its normal position, and watched the world envelop in front of her. The preacher droned out, the world slowly lost sound. A single tear flowed out of her left eye, and she wiped it off.

"King Harkinan shall forever be missed. His body may be gone from our reach, but his soul will forever remain with us. His soul ... will always exist in our hearts." He concluded, stepping down from the podium. He had addressed about eighty of the most important figures in the Hylian empire, although so many more had wanted to come. King Harkinan spent his life in Hyrule Castle, and it was deemed appropriate that he shall be buried in the courtyard. Strangely enough, he also decreed that his funeral was to privatized to important figures.

King Juste wiped his eyes, although he shed no tears. He was the king of Termina, and a close friend of King Harkinan. Juste Valle was also old himself, with grey hair that extended to form a beard, and hazel eyes. He donned himself in a black robe, as was appropriate for the day. Beside him stood his wife, Yul, who was of the same age as him, and their thirteen year old son, Brandon Valle. Brandon had curly black hair that was fairly long, and blue eyes, just like his mother's.

Rusl also belonged to the noble Lordship of Valle, being the brother of Juste. However, Rusl decided to be a swordsman instead of a noble, a choice that Juste will never understand. With that, Rusl had sailed to Hyrule, and lived in Ordon since. Juste had tried to get them spots to attend the funeral, but seating was hard-pressed, and that never came into fruition.

Beside them stood Prince Ralis Aria, heir to the Kingdom of the Zoras. Darbus Doln, the patriarch of the Gorons, was sitting in the row behind them.

Two more rows back sat Princess Zelda and Link. To Zelda's left was her father's younger brother, Seto. Unlike her father, his hair did not gray over time, and remained brown. He was the Lord of Kakariko, which is where the Harkinans descended from, according to her family tree. Hyrule was simply the place where kings rule from.

In front of them sat Manni Rodra, who was the lord of Koholint Island, a relatively small island to the west of Hyrule. Despite the size, the island boasted a huge army, and Manni Rodra had a stone heart, feeling no compassion for anything. He was middle-aged, with grey hair and blue eyes, and towered amongst others. He was as tall as the Gorons, if not taller.

Altogether, all six noble lordships appeared at the funeral: Harkinans of Kakariko, Valles of Termina, Prince Ralis of the Zoras, Darbus, patriarch of the Gorons, Rodras of Koholint and the rightful queen, Zelda Harkinan of Hyrule Castle.

Impa took her place at the podium to talk. She cleared her throat, and talked. Her speech went on for only a few minutes, and Zelda tried her best to listen, but couldn't. Zelda rested her head on Link's shoulder, and her eyes felt heavy, probably from a lack of sleep. She closed them for a few seconds, and those seconds turned to minutes. When Link realized that she was sleeping, he gently shook her. She looked around in surprise, and listened intently as Hyrule Castle's councillor, Zeal, began to read King Harkinan's will, created moments before the late king permanently closed his eyes.

"This will was worded by the king and written by me moments before he died. His grace has sealed the will." Zeal said, and showed the letter to the audience, and it did have the king's seal on it. He broke the seal and read its contents, "under the dying words of his grace: Dear Prince Ralis, I am sorry that I shall not be able to attend your wedding, but I wish you a bright and prosperous future."

Prince Ralis nodded, "may the Goddesses shine on you, my king."

"Secondly, I will all of my lands, legacy, and riches to my rightful heir, Zelda Harkinan."

This did not surprise Zelda, and she remained quiet. Zeal glanced at her, and continued, "Thirdly, I am asking of Zelda to heed councillor Zeal's advice, and ask of you to keep him as the councillor, even after my death. Finally, the ownership of the path leading up to Death Mountain has been disputed between the Lordship of the Harkinans, lords of Kakariko and the Darbus Doln, leader of the Goron. I hereby decree that the piece of land is property of the Dolns."

Zeal looked up to see everybody's reactions, and the crowd was surprised. Everybody had expected that the late king would give that land to his brother. Lord Seto seemed to be angry, based on what Zelda could tell. Darbus, on the other hand, was grinning.

Finally, Zelda stood up. "May King Harkinan rest in peace." She concluded the funeral with that, and everybody stood up.

"May King Harkinan rest in peace." Everybody said in unison. The audience disbursed, and some began to leave.

Juste Valle and his family went up to Zelda, "We are extremely sorry for your loss. I always thought of him as a brother to me, so I can't imagine what it's like to lose such a great man as a father," he looked at Link, "you know... the king talked of you often. He talked of how fine of a lad you are, and how lucky he is to have met such a man."

Link forced a smile, despite the obvious lie. Link's relationship with the king was anything but fine, but the public never knew about that. _The king thought of me as a worthless peasant_, Link thought. The former king had wanted Zelda to marry a foreign prince for the added power. It was almost going to go through.

Almost.

* * *

Later that evening, a large banquet was served in Hyrule Castle, in honour of King Harkinan. Most people attended, although Seto had left early, for an unknown reason. People were standing up, talking, and some were even laughing.

Link sat at one end of the table. He sat alone, drinking wine, while watching Zelda converse with the many royals in the hall. She moved between them with elegance, and took a sip of wine while others were speaking. Everybody shared laughs, _and Zelda's laugh is so beautiful_, Link thought to himself. To him, she truly was the epitome of beauty. The way she walked, talked and laughed... sometimes he wondered whether they truly were a good fit. She was a royal princess, now queen, who rarely, if ever left her castle. He was a farm boy bound for adventures, and socializing wasn't his idea of excitement.

There are a few people he liked talking to, however, like Colin. As the years passed, Colin became a little brother to Link, almost like a younger version of the hero. Even had hero's blood in him, like when he saved Beth from the Bulbins. The only difference is that Colin is royalty, and of the Valle name. Colin never acted like royalty, however, and that pleased Link.

Eventually, Link decided to get some fresh air, and sat outside of the castle, looking at the moon.

Darbus, patriarch of the Gorons, came to greet Link. He smiled, "I can tell exactly what you're thinking, brother. The answer is yes. A definite yes."

Link had forced another smile, although this one was ever so slightly more genuine. _Still, what good was advice about love from a man who was sworn to duty, and cannot marry? _Link immediately looked back down at the pond under his feet.

Darbus stared into Link's blue eyes, "that's a trifle rude. Just because I swore not to marry and have children does not mean that I cannot love."

Link appeared shocked, "I'm- I'm sorry."

Darbus grinned, "It's alright. Say, want to have a sumo wrestle?"

Link looked around, "Right here?"

"Of course! I'm game if you are, brother!"

Link stood up to match the Goron. Link opted not to remove his tunic, since the weather was rather cold. When Darbus declared go, Link had tackled Darbus head-on. Darbus swept Link back, and advanced forward.

Zelda heard the rustles outside and went to look, along with a few other members. The councillor watched, unimpressed, and the Valles also watched, but with more interest.

"Link, what in the name of the Goddesses are you doing?" Zelda cried out.

Link and Darbus quickly stopped fighting. "Women," Darbus quietly muttered to Link, "scratch duty. This is the reason I won't get married."

Link turned to face her, and councillor Zeal spoke up, "Sirs, you are on property of her royal highness, Zelda Harkinan the first, current ruler of the Hylian empire. This is no place for games." All the way through, Zelda nodded her agreement.

"Link, can you stop acting like a child for one day?" Zelda added.

Instead of going up to her, Link promptly took off in the opposite direction, leaving the castle as he did so.

_I'm no child,_ Link thought angrily to himself, _I'm a hero. I saved her, did she forget that? I'm no child... I saved Hyrule, why does everybody forget that? I'm no child..._

"Where do you think you're going?" Zelda asked, becoming more infuriated.

"To take a walk!" Link shouted back as he left the castle grounds.

Heads turned to Darbus, "I - I'd better go take a walk as well, I suppose..." he said awkwardly as he chased after Link.

* * *

Hyrule Castle is nice. The food is perfect, and Link is treated like a king. _But it's not my home_, he thought sullenly. He was born to roam the lands, not stay cooped up in a cage for the remainder of his life.

"Link, running was a stupid move, and you know it," Darbus finally caught up with him. Darbus sat down beside Link, and they watched the city from the rooftop of a local café.

"Running_ was_ my only move. Darbus, do you know what it's like to be trapped in your own home? I needed air, and I needed exercise."

"Brother, you seem to forget that I'm king of my own people as well. I need to stay at the mountain, and watch over my fellow brothers. Just like you. If your marriage does go through, which is possible now, then you'll be king. Later on, you might also be a father. You may be a hero, but you need to stop being so headstrong and grow up."

"But I'm not born for that kind of lifestyle. I'm just a reckless person, and that's how I want to be."

"Then leave Hyrule Castle! Nobody's asking you to stay here, it's your decision. You could have left a long time ago as well. Yet you stayed. That alone tells me that you want to be here, but I can only say so much."

Link pondered for a moment, "Alright... but how would I apologize to Zelda about this?"

Darbus laughed, "This is an area I do have expertise in, my brother! In this matter, all women, whether human, Goron, or Zora, look for the same three words!"

"I was wrong!" Link answered. A moment later, both men burst out laughing for a few minutes.

"Yes, brother. Write those words on your tombstone as Zelda buries you alive!" He laughed, "just for added spite, she'll bury you right under your father's grave!"

Link became silent for a moment, before quietly speaking again, "you - you know?"

"Link, everybody knows about the two of you!" He laughed again. Link forced a smile.

"Darbus, be honest with me on this... do some of the royals talk about my impoverished bloodline? If so, who?"

Darbus's smile quickly faded as well, "Well... yes, many do. You may be a hero to them, but you're still a commoner. But you're going to have to live like that, since nothing can change it. Word of advice, from man to man: wear your shame and differences as your armour. That way, nobody can hurt you with it."

* * *

Link finally returned to Hyrule Castle. Zelda was waiting at the door for him, still wearing her black dress. Most of the guests had already left, and a few more were leaving.

He stood in front of her, and looked her in the eyes, "Zelda, I'm sorry about my actions. I was wrong..."

Zelda appeared to stop being so mad, and stopped him, "No, it's my fault. You need excitement back in your life."

The setting was perfect. The moon was bright overhead, both of them looked their best, and the water from a nearby fountain was the only sound to be heard. Both of them closed their eyes and kissed. Darbus was standing inside, watching them in curiosity of their relationship. Without Zelda knowing, Link gave a thumbs up to the Goron, and Darbus smiled.

* * *

**II**

**Kakariko**

"Damn it!" Seto yelled in rage. The maids were trying to calm him down, but it did little. He shouted a little more, until he finally stopped. The entire of Kakariko were talking and whispering about the ownership of the trail up to Death Mountain. Apparently, the area was riddled with gold and other precious metals.

His castle stood at the centre of the reformed Kakariko village, and towered high, largely made of cold stone. It had been built three years prior, where Kakariko had become a ghost town. After blood, sweat, and tears, Seto finally finished his crown jewel, and sparked life back into Kakariko.

Seto's main hall had a red carpet flowing from the entrance of the hall to the throne, and in the center was the Harkinan symbol, a crow. The interiors were made of marble, which was of his own request. The sides of the room were empty, although chairs could be placed there in case he had an audience. Behind his throne was a stained glass which had the vague shape of Hyrule.

After a moment of thinking, Seto finally thought about his actions. Jarem, his army general, came to visit him.

"Sir, I'm terribly sorry about your loss."

Seto held his head, "he was my brother, yet he just gives it to a bunch of stupid rocks!"

"Sir-" Jared began, but Seto cut him off.

"_Sir, sir, sir_!" Seto began in a mock voice, leaving Jarem speechless, "is there anything you can say other than that?"

_Damn you_, Jared thought, _you're an awful lord_. After a few moments, Seto began to calm down, and lowered his voice, "I'm sorry. It's just that I need to blow off some steam. I knew the land was mine, and with it, as much gold as I want. I could buy entire armies with it!"

"But sir, why would you need an army? Wait... sir, you're not going to, are you?" Jared gasped.

"Hyrule Castle is my rightful property, and I deserve to be king."

"Hyrule Castle keeps twice as many men as we have in total, and that's not even counting their allies, like the Zoras."

"We'll take this one step at a time, general. Mobilize the army. Call for any allies that you can may know of. We're taking the path leading to Death Mountain. With or without violence." Seto commanded him. With a stern solute, Jared walked off. In the shadows, a figure was watching, and left afterwards.

* * *

**III**

**Termina**

As usual, King Valle travelled home in a full convoy, and he didn't so much as have the courtesy to say hello to his oldest son.

Harra was a year younger than Link, with hazel eyes and black hair. Little more than a year ago, their father, Juste, went against tradition and chose Brandon as the heir to Termina. Ever since then, Harra did everything he could to prove that he was the better candidate for heir. Nothing would ever work, however.

In many ways, Harra was different from Brandon. Harra liked cooking, reading, and sarcasm. He was very outward with his opinions, which often got him in trouble. Brandon was often a shy boy, but not when he was around friends, yet strong and brave when he needs to be. Despite their differences, they truly did treat each other like brothers.

_Damn the king_, Harra thought to himself. "Hello father."

King Valle looked up at his son, who stood on the balcony of their castle. He did not smile at him, just like Harra thought he would. However, Brandon excitedly waved at Harra, who smiled and waved back.

King Valle's castle was the crown of Termina. It was built on the water, facing Hyrule so that it is better able to defend the island against possible attacks. There was no guarantee that the western barbarians would not attack him, but he thought otherwise of that chance. The castle was made of purely stone, and there was a moat surrounding it. A large drawbridge hang downwards to Termina.

Once his family was welcomed back, Brandon came up to Harra's room and stared outward at Termina with him.

"Harra, guess what? Father took me to see Hyrule Castle today."

Harra smiled, "Was it nice?"

"I liked it. Apparently the king and queen there got into some sort of fight."

Harra shrugged, uninterested. He'd never been to Hyrule Castle, although he heard many tales about it being an impenetrable fortress, which seemed unreasonable to him.

"Brandon, imagine: the world is so incredibly big, and it's yours for the taking."

"What would I do with it?"

Harra shrugged, "I don't know. What would you do with it?"

Brandon sat down and thought, "well, I'd want to make people stop fighting. I'd make everybody friends with each other, like how I'm friends with you."

One of their maids came up to their room to collect the laundry, "boys, your father wants to tell you to come downstairs. Rusl and Colin are here."

Brandon smiled, and hurried downstairs to see his cousin. Harra stayed at the balcony, and watched the stars. After the maid yelled for Harra twice did he move.

Rusl had been looking well, and the recent years have been kind to him, age-wise. Colin had also turned thirteen a few months ago, and cut his hair short. The entire family met around a table, although Juste, Uli, and Brandon did not eat, since they had already eaten at Hyrule Castle.

While eating, the group had basic conversations about things like weather and Uli's infant girl. After they had eaten, Harra was sent back to his room. Brandon and Colin went outside.

Rusl cleared his throat, "Well, as you know, there is a reason why we're here. But I'd feel more comfortable if we were alone."

Juste stood up and waved his hand, signalling for the maids and housekeepers to leave the area. Once they left, they all sat down to talk.

"As I was saying, I have a reason to be here. Rumour is that the late king gave a piece of Death Mountain to the Gorons, instead of his brother."

"That's not a rumour." Yul replied.

"Yes, yes... Juste, you know Seto. He's always been war-hungry, and I have no doubts that he feels he deserves the land more, especially with the king dead. I fear that he may forcefully take the land."

"Are you suggesting bloodshed?" Juste asked.

"Well... yes," Yul added, "one of our spies reports to us that Seto is mobilizing his army."

Juste sighed and rubbed his face, "when was I supposed to know about this?"

"After Rusl left. But we're all on the same page," she replied.

The baby girl, named Melina, started to wail. Uli excused herself as she left the room to care for her.

Rusl continued, "war is upon us, my king. You need to decide early, before the war is decided for you."

"Decide?" Juste shouted, "What kind of decision is this? Seto is clearly to be the victor! His army stands thirty thousand strong, while the Gorons have little more than six thousand warriors! Combined with our twenty thousand, and we'll steamroll the rocks. But it does not matter, because Queen Harkinan will not let a war commence, and will order her uncle's head for such an act."

"My king, I'd still suggest preparing your troops, in the chance that Seto rebels against her highness," Rusl concluded.

"He's right," Yul added, and rubbed the king on the arm.

The king sighed as a messenger appeared before them. His ship was docked in front of the castle, with the Harkinan flag proudly waving amidst the currents. The messenger bowed down before Juste, and handed over a message from Seto, with Seto's seal unbroken. The king received it and began to read out loud:

_Dear Juste Valle,_

_As you know, a great misfortune fell upon me earlier today, and the passage to Death Mountain is not in my control. However, I feel that this area is rightfully mine, and I shall take it. This path leads directly into Kakariko village, and poses a constant threat to my people, in case the Gorons attack. Secondly, I'm afraid to say that in old age, the king became delirious with his will and did not fully think it through, should he have had the time. It's only logical that it should go to his rightful brother, and it shall. I humbly as of you to join me in my quest to take what is mine, and if you choose to do so, I shall gratefully swear my allegiance to you in future endeavors. In addition, a generous portion of the gold found on the passage to Death Mountain shall be yours._

_Please send a letter back stating your position on my proposal, and I will write you back shortly thereafter._

The king looked up to see the reactions of his comrades. Rusl wasn't too surprised, and Yul smiled.

"Tell Seto that I accept his offer, and that I shall send five thousand men to him immediately," Juste told the messenger.

"Sir, I need you to write it out and seal it." The messenger replied. The king wrote it out and sealed it, and the messenger left with the letter in his hands.

Rusl laid back and spoke, "what if the queen forbids him? Or worse, she orders for his head?"

Juste shook his head, "it'll take her a few weeks to actually become used to being queen, and she won't get anything done within those weeks."

"Still, you shouldn't underestimate her. I've known her since she was a young one, and she's brilliant."

* * *

Colin and Brandon were practicing fencing outside, near the castle's garden. Even though the swords were made of a flimsy plastic, both were well covered up, thanks to Harra, who supervised the whole thing. Halfway through Uli and Melina came outside to watch the boys.

There was a full moon that night, and the world became so much darker. After a few minutes, Melina fell asleep, and Uli did her best not to doze off as well. Eventually they did escort her inside, and arrangements were made for Rusl's family to sleep overnight and travel back to Ordon in the dawn.

Colin and Brandon were always exceptionally well behaved to each other, and that stemmed since they were toddlers, and Harra was just nine. "Don't eat any of the food on the counter," Harra always warned them when people came over, but they didn't listen and there was rarely enough food for everybody at once.

Harra smiled as he recollected those memories. _They can sure eat a lot._

Both boys continued to fence, and Colin was leading in score. Since Brandon and Harra had last seen Colin (about two years ago), Colin grew almost to Harra's height and his arms were noticeably muscular, and Rusl likely taught him how to use a real sword. Yul was always protective with Brandon, which is probably why Brandon never so much as touched anything that could cut him, or anybody else.

A cold breeze flew in to the courtyard, and all three boys went inside. The entire family talked and laughed, until Melina began nudging her mother towards what was happening outside. Snow began to fall, marking the beginning of winter.

* * *

**V**

**Zora's Domain**

Deep within Zora's river, Somra (Prince Ralis' betrothed) watched the many Zoras as they gracefully swam in the water. Usually, the water was strangely warm, since they were so far in the north. However, the water was very cold, which could only mean that snow would come soon.

Since the entire river froze three years ago, the Zoras have since spent their winters in underground lakes, where the water was still warm. Somra would have been disappointed to have been married deep underground, but fortunately Prince Ralis' birthday was in June. Since the Zoras began to walk the lands, the first king, King Zora I, decreed that the weddings of all royal Zoras must take place on the male's birthday. Nobody was entirely sure why he had such an odd rule, but it was probably because the first king himself forget his own anniversary too many times.

Legend has it that there are many Zora tribes scattered across the globe, and combined, their numbers far exceed that of the humans. However, there were only one hundred thousand Zoras in Hyrule, and only thirty thousand of them are trained in combat and able to be drawn upon.

Snow began to fall from outside of their den, and the Zoras began to leave the river. Somra did not move, and waited patiently for Prince Ralis to return from the funeral.

After a few more minutes, he finally returns to Zora's Domain. She waves at him, and he waves back.

"Sorry I took so long, but I was invited to a feast afterwards," he called out as he approached her, "believe me, I really wanted for you to join me there, but there were no seats to attend his funeral. The Terminian 'royalty' took three for themselves, and were still asking for three more!"

"That's alright," Somra shrugged, "that's not important, what we need to focus on is this upcoming winter."

Prince Ralis hugged her, and she noticed that he was awfully cold to the touch as he said, "Tilo should be working on that. Let's go inside, I'm freezing."

* * *

**VI**

**Koholint**

Manni returned to Koholint Island, which lied to the east of Hyrule, past the Desert Province. The island used to be lush and green, of a tropical setting many years ago. Now it is a stone fortress, with rugged mountains and volcanoes. Even farther east of the island is a mystery, as no ships that have left to the east have ever come back.

Manni's nephew and niece sat at the dinner table at his castle. The two were twins, the boy was named Ramsi, while the girl's name was Aman. Manni had no offspring for him to relieve the castle to when he dies, so he gladly gave the right to the throne to the two of them. Their father was elated to hear that, but he had died a few years ago.

The twins were the same age as Link, and were extraordinarily gifted. Ramsi was tall, at 6'2'', with cold blue eyes, just like Manni. His hair was curly, and of a dark golden colour. He was an excellent swordsman in his own right. Manni assigned him as general of Koholint's army. Aman was also rather tall, with her height comparable to most adult men. She had blue eyes and light golden hair that flowed to her back. She was brilliant at being able to weigh out battle plans, which was always a man's job, until Manni had assigned her to do so.

After a full day of travel, Manni finally made it back to his home. The lord rarely saw snow, so he relished the moment while he was in Hyrule City. In the desert, and Koholint Island, there was absolutely no snow for as long as their history had recorded it. Now he'd heard rumours that it was just a freak blizzard, and all the snow had already melted.

To get from the desert to Koholint was a difficult task, since a large sea blocked them. He decided to build a sea port in the desert, and named it the Sand Port. The main inhabitants of the port were Gorons, since they were already used to such hot climates.

Manni was fully surrounded by his guards until he made it to his dinner table. He then sat down across from the twins and waved the guards off. Servants and maids scurried off to bring them dishes as they conversed.

"How was your trip?" Ramsi asked him as he gorged down on chicken.

"Firstly, you shouldn't eat with your mouth full," Manni glared at the young man.

"Why does it matter? All I asked was how your trip went," he said, with food still in his mouth.

Manni sighed, _at least I have another heir. _"Boring, and uneventful. Except for the snow," Manni replied, and waited for all of the servants to leave. "We're probably going to war. The late king of Hyrule gave a piece of land to the Gorons, instead of his brother. Now rumour's going around that the two are to wage war over it."

Aman raised an eyebrow, "war?"

"Yes, they will likely war, unless Queen Zelda is quick enough to stop Seto, which I doubt."

"Are we also going to be in it?" Ramsi asked, "which side are we on?"

"I don't know, but this is the opportunity I've been waiting for. My children, war is upon us, and we shall take Hyrule Castle for our family, and with it, all of Hyrule." Manni smirked, "may the Goddesses look brightly upon us."

* * *

**End Chapter**

**Words: 5,656**

* * *

Author's Notes

That's the introduction to the story! Yes, there are a lot of OCs, I know. Most of them seem like carbon copies of one another, but that'll change soon enough as their roles become well defined. Also, I'll be bringing in more of TLoZ characters into the mix as well.

Just note, this is primarily a battle story (not the romantic kind where the guy goes of to war, leaving his beloved), but an actual struggle for power. Yes, that does mean that there is character death, both OC and canon characters.

Many chapters will follow this style, but there'll be more action scenes in the next chapters, if that's what you're interested in.

Please review, I'd love to hear your feedback!


	2. Forgotten Times

Author's Notes:

I'm glad people liked the last chapter! I can understand that it's pretty confusing, since I am planning on building onto Hyrule, but adding a well-defined history to it as I go on. It'll become clearer as the chapters go on, trust me.

I'm perfectly okay with people pointing out spelling mistakes in my writing. It allows my writing to look better for the next person to view it, and I do appreciate when you may see an error in it and tell me, so that I can promptly fix it.

* * *

**CHAPTER 2**

**Forgotten Times**

* * *

**I**

**Termina**

Morning had arrived, and all of the snow from yesterday had melted overnight. Termina rarely had snow, and winters were often very dry at the same time. Juste wiped his groggy eyes, and saw that all of the guards and maids and housekeepers were already at work. Lazily he got out of bed, and noticed that his wife, Yul, was already downstairs.

Juste walked over to his window to observe Clock Town, which was vast and quickly growing after the Twilight Realm had receded. For the past few hundred years, Termina had moved from a democracy to a monarchy, which was widely accepted when the people had realized that Juste's oldest known ancestor was a kind and fair king, and his son would become one as well. Ever since then, every king of Termina was always loved by his people, including Juste.

Termina was becoming the cornerstone of technology in the known globe. Terminians had invented the telescope, the idea of time, clocks, and they were now looking into flight. Juste imagined the thought of flight in war. _The possibilities it would bring_, he thought and smiled. One of his maids had brought him his tea, just as he liked it. The clock in his room said that noon was in a few minutes, and he had already missed breakfast. He hurried downstairs to the main hall before he missed lunch as well.

Rusl's whole family was at the table, and so was his. Steamed pork was served all around, with a side of bread. Smiles were exchanged. Laughter shook the table.

"Rusl, I've slept on my situation last night," Juste said as he sat down on his chair. He stuffed himself with the pork, and looked into Rusl's eyes.

"Is that so? Were you thinking about the implications of attacking the Gorons, who the queen favours more than she favours you?" He asked.

"Rusl, that's not how we should be talking in the afternoon," Uli nudged at Rusl.

Juste Valle sighed, and stood up, pacing. He smiled and began to speak, "Rusl... are you having second thoughts about this whole thing? Was it not you that suggested this course of action to me? In times like these, uncertainty means death."

Rusl prematurely swallowed his food from that comment, "no... no. I humbly request for you to think your next move carefully, as we do have to play by the queen's rules."

Brandon began to yawn, these kinds of discussions bored him. He began to take a walk outside, and Colin immediately joined him. Harra showed an unnatural interest in the topic, and intently listened.

"The rules can't be held, since the queen needs her coronation before being able to call for a lord to disarm his military," Harra added his own opinion, and ate another piece of the pork. Glances were shot at the kid, most surprised.

Rusl sighed, "I cannot argue with that, so I humbly ask of you to drop this conversation," he said as Juste motioned for two more words, "my king."

With the two last words, Juste burst out laughing, "see brother? You learn fast. Amazingly fast. However, I'm not going to allow for your request. As I said, I've slept on my situation last night. I've decided that I would benefit from having you here to advise me. I now ask of you to become my royal adviser, and live in the castle for the time being."

Rusl gave a quiet glare at the offer. Rusl and Juste had not lived together since they were children. Ever since then, they would see each other every few years, and Rusl didn't particularly like Termina. The streets were always crowded, and something was happening, whether it be a robbery, murder, or construction. He preferred Ordon, which was quiet and more suitable for growing a child.

Rusl responded after a few moments, "I... accept, but I would like to visit my families and relatives back in Ordon for the time being."

Juste clapped his hands, and the king's personal butler, Realle came to attend. He was slightly older than Juste, and had reading glasses. His eyes were hazel, and hair was golden.

"Go prepare the fastest ship in our port to travel to Ordon," Juste commanded, and focused his attention back on Rusl, "No matter what, I will never understand why you choose to give up royalty for a cottage life. This throne was supposed to be yours, and you just throw it away."

Uli spoke up, "it's a personal decision. We felt that Colin would be happier in Ordon, so we live there in peace and quiet."

"With the way the world looks now, nowhere is safe. Not even Ordon."

* * *

**II**

**Ordon**

Ordon was one of the only places known to the people of Hyrule that still practiced democracy, and voted for a mayor, yet still swore loyalty to the royal family of Hyrule. It was pretty much unanimously decided that Link would be the next mayor, but he had gone off to Hyrule Castle a few weeks ago, probably to marry Princess Zelda, who is now a queen.

Still, it was tough to be mad at Link, after all that he had done for the town. Now Rusl had left, and the children of the village spread rumours that his family would not return.

Beth, Malo, and Talo were sitting alongside the river, talking and laughing. The children were older, and expected to do their share of the village responsibilities, such as herding the goats. This left the group much more tired, and they ran around and played games less.

"You think that Colin is alright?" Talo asked, "he was supposed to be back this morning."

Beth shrugged, "he's alright. He's smart-"

Malo raised an eyebrow and interrupted her, "smart enough to nearly get run over by the Bulbins?"

Beth flushed a bright red, and punched Malo in the arm, "that was so gallant of him! Did _you_ ever save anybody's life?"

"I talked our dad out of giving the monkey chaser a punishment after he rushed into the woods," Malo retorted, "he would have been good as dead afterwards."

Talo sighed and began to pour out the contents of his mind, "first Link, and now Colin... is everybody leaving?"

"For the last time, Colin is coming back," Beth immediately responded, "plus, Luda might be coming to live here as well!"

Talo raised an eyebrow, "Luda?"

"Do you remember the time you got us stuck at Kakariko, and there was a girl and her father taking care of us? That girl was Luda," Malo explained. An 'oh' escaped Talo's mouth as he nodded with understanding.

Ilia appeared behind them, carrying a basket with small clothes, "is Uli back yet? I weaved her daughter plenty of clothes in celebration of her second birthday, but I can't find her."

Beth shook her head, "they're still gone. We've been waiting here for two hours, and they're still not back."

Ilia gave a frustrated groan, "I hope they're back soon! This was last weeks paycheck!"

"I hear that in Hyrule City that the people there work less hours than us but make twice as much money," Malo said, "outrageous."

"Maybe that's why people are leaving Ordon!" Talo added.

Ilia shook her head, "nobody is leaving. You have to sacrifice something for a sense of community, and that happens to be a paycheck. I've been there, you can _never_ sleep soundly from the noise on the streets."

"They also have nicer clothing, better food, professional entertainment-" Malo began to list the things that Hyrule Castle had over Ordon with his fingers.

Ilia let out a frustrated sigh and cupped her face in her hands, "now you're making _me_ want to move there."

Talo continued with his obsessive theories on why Link and Rusl had previously left Ordon, "maybe Link left because of the money?"

Malo shook his head, "Link doesn't care about money. He moved to Hyrule City because he loves Zelda, and wants to be with her."

Ilia took in a short breath and got up, leaving the basket on the ground. She left immediately, until Talo questioned where she was going. "I'm - I'm going to take a walk," she said, with a touch of sobbing in her voice.

"Was it something I said?" Talo asked, perplexed by what happened.

"It's something _we_ said. Can't you guys see? Ilia still loves Link, but he left her. Now the only other person in Ordon that's in her age group is Fado," Beth stated.

"But I thought that Fado is a nice guy?" Talo asked.

"He is a nice guy," Beth answered, and picked up the basket, "but he's no Link. This is something men wouldn't understand. It's the principle of the matter. I'm going to apologize on behalf of all three of us."

* * *

Ilia entered her house and slammed the door shut, going to her room. Once there, she cried in her pillow. _If it hadn't been for Zelda_, Ilia thought somberly, _I'd have my happily ever after. Why does she need Link? There are a million other men for her. Link's the only one for me..._

Mayor Bo entered the house, and heard the crying. Upon hearing the door close, Ilia attempted to clean herself up and hide the tears, but Bo was upstairs before she could do so.

"Is anything wrong?" He gently asked her, rubbing his hand on her shoulder.

"I miss him..." she sobbed. Both of them knew who she was talking about.

"So do I," he quietly said, kissing her on the cheek, "but sometimes it's not meant to be. Sometimes the unexpected happens. I... I didn't expect your mother to depart from this world so quickly, but it is what it is. She left me with you, and that's the greatest gift of all. I would never leave the house when she died, and I felt like my life had no meaning. But, I can tell you, the Goddesses always have a plan for you, to make you happier without Link than you would be with him."

Beth knocked against the door, and Bo went downstairs to open it up. Beth was waiting at the front with the basket, "Ilia dropped this." Bo stretched his arms to take the basket from her, but she pulled it back, "I'd like to give it to her myself," she said, and he stepped back to allow her to enter his home.

Beth entered Ilia's room, and seated herself beside Ilia, "you left this." she pointed to the basket on the floor.

Mayor Bo entered the room, and recognized that the conversation that was about to happen was not going to be of interest for the mayor, and he awkwardly excused himself out, "I- I have to go check the harvest."

Beth and Ilia both smiled at the man. Bo always talked to others about his younger "glory" days with Darbus, patriarch of the Gorons. They had practically grown up as family, and developed the same vocabulary and method of excusing themselves. Beth did not believe what the mayor had said until she finally did meet Darbus himself, and everything Bo said was true. That was back in the war of Twilight.

Yet somehow Ilia knew that Bo that worded that on purpose to make her smile, and realize that he and Darbus truly were brothers. He always had the ability to make people smile. That's why people loved him.

Mayor Bo waited patiently outside of the room for the conversation to end. Across the hall he stared at a painting he drew of Iara, his dead wife. She had blond hair and blue eyes, just like Ilia's. Right there, he was lost in time as he played back the memories of their life. The day they first met, the day they married, and the day that Bo lost her. Her death was still so vivid in his head, and as hard as he tries to forget it, Ilia's face reminds him of her's, and her death.

Mayor Bo had been so excited the day they were going to have a son. She was screaming in pain, but that was expected. A doctor by the name of Dr. Borville had taken care of everything, and he patiently waited outside of the Hyrule Castle hospital for his newborn son. Hours passed, and her screams became more and more faint. Eventually, she had stopped screaming, and he had entered the birthing room. The doctor was holding the baby, Ilia, in his hands, and to his left was Iara's dead body. With trembling hands, Bo took the baby (who turned out to be a girl) and held her to his shoulder. He sat down at the foot of the bed and started to sob, holding Iara's hand while he did so. for hours. That was the only time he ever cried, but every time the man walked by Iara's painting, it almost elicited tears from him. In honour of Iara, Bo had named her Ilia.

* * *

**III**

**Death Mountain**

"Attention!" Darbus yelled out as many of the Gorons began to woke up. The sun was blazing out in the sky, and the field next to Death Mountain had the leaders of the tribe waiting impatiently. Among them stood Darbus and the four elders. As was customary in Goron culture, all elders had Gor in front of their name.

_Gor Darbus_, Darbus thought to himself, _doesn't really roll off the tongue._

Thousands of Gorons poured out of Death Mountain and onto the field. After seemingly everybody arrived, Darbus spoke up from the top of a rock, looking at the crowd, "hello brothers. A grave day is upon us, and Seto, lord of Kakariko has declared war against us, over the land leading to Death Mountain."

Angry murmurs were heard as he continued, "But we shall not let this land go. This is our land, given to us by the royal family. As a result, I have full confidence that Hyrule Castle and its army stand with us in serving justice. With them, the Zoras also join us. Seto feels that we will wage war on them through the path to Kakariko, yet declare war on us! And for what? Gold? Silver?"

"They're traitors to Hyrule!" A voice was heard from the crowd, and many fists pumped up in agreement.

"Brothers: this is a time of peril for us. Yes, they do outnumber us eight to one, but every Goron here is worth ten of those lowlanders!"

Roars of approval and clapping surged from the crowd, as Darbus began to speak again, "I like to think of myself as a fair leader. I will lie to you if I said that none of you may get hurt or die. This is your moment to leave if you want to. I cannot guarantee that those you know will not call you a coward for it, but I can guarantee that you will not be welcome back to Death Mountain once we win!"

Roars of approval came once again, and the crowd began to chant, "**War! War! War!**"

Darbus stepped off of the rocks, as Gor Coron patted him on the back, "that was an excellent speech."

Darbus chuckled as they walked to the crowd, "I just hope it got them riled up to fight for our land."

The crowd seemed so sure of victory, but Darbus began to have second thoughts. _What if the armies of Hyrule Castle don't show up? Can we defend against them then? What if Seto's got allies?_

Uncertainty can't be shown, and Darbus kept a grin as everybody talked and yelled and cheered. Blood thirsty and bold as these Gorons were, Darbus couldn't live with himself if any of them got killed.

* * *

**IV**

**Hyrule Castle**

Zelda nervously tapped her fingers on the chair's. It's been hours since Impa's convoy traveled to Zora's Domain. She had told herself that if the Zoras would join help protect the path to Death Mountain, so would she.

One by one, four messengers have been sent to Seto asking to forfeit his armies and his land. None have returned.

Zelda's throne room had marble pillars holding it up, and a velvet chair at the end. As was customary with all Harkinans, her carpets had the crow on them.

_Killing messengers is a coward's move_, Zelda thought to herself. They likely were killed, since the fourth one should have been back by now. If innocent messengers were killed, then she would have no remorse for taking Seto's head off of his golden armour.

Every once in a while, Zelda could see Link darting across the hallway outside of the throne room impatiently. He probably was just waiting, like her. Eventually she called him inside of the throne room.

"Yes, my queen?" Link asked, sticking his head through the double doors.

"For the millionth time, call me-"

"Zelda," Impa's urgent voice arrived as she ran inside, surrounded by bodyguards, "the Zoras have refused to aid us. They fear that winter is soon approaching."

Zelda gave a frustrated groan, "look outside! It's nice and warm, and there's absolutely no snow anywhere! That was just a freak snowstorm!"

"What should we do about defending Death Mountain now?" Link asked her.

"I suppose we'll gather our armies and head east to the mountain by ourselves," Zelda continued, "but Link, there's something I need of you."

Link bowed on one knee and pointed his sword at her, "I am forever sworn to serve you, my queen."

"Call me Zelda!" She retorted, and immediately calmed down, "Gather some of the best swordsmen in Hyrule. Then confront Seto and inform him that you are there to take his head, on behalf of the queen. If you are attacked, fight back."

Link scurried off outside as he made a list of who to contact. Since the Zoras don't want anything to do with the war, he can't look for Tito, Ralis' trusted adviser. _There is Rusl, _Link thought to himself, _and Ashei. There's also King Bulbin, but it'll be tough to find him... Darbus is definitely busy right now. Who else? _Link knew that he was being sent off to a death trap if he wasn't careful, but what counted as careful?

* * *

Inside of Telma's Bar, Ashei was sitting there, talking to friends of hers. Most of her friends were drinking wine, but she would never touch it.

"Makes a warrior weaker," she would always respond when somebody offered her a glass. As usual, her bangs covered up her forehead and she covered herself in light armor. Her sword was sheathed, and her hands were on the table. She gave a smile as her friends burst out laughing. As he was approaching her, Telma stopped him dead in his tracks.

"Link!" Telma cried out, giving him a painfully tight hug, and releasing him, "it's so nice to see you again!"

"You too, Telma."

She went back behind the counter top and sat down, "what can I do you for, sugar?"

Link pointed towards Ashei, and Telma laughed, "she's been here since morning, talking to that group. Strange, I've never seen her talk with such a rowdy group before."

The hero went up to Ashei and tapped her shoulder. She looked him in the eyes, "Hello Link. Can I help you?"

"We need to talk." Link's voice was light, yet she could sense graveness in it at the same time. Ashei quietly got up and exited the bar. Normally the streets around the bar were crowded, but the parade celebrating the world of light was happening uptown.

"Who are those people?" Link asked as he closed the door behind them, "they seem pretty rowdy."

"My family," Ashei scoffed, and raised an eyebrow, "don't apologize. They are what they are."

Link shrugged, and shooed away a nearby cat who was rubbing her head against Link's ankle. "Anyways... I'm going to Kakariko, to put a death sentence on the lord there. I need to travel with a group, since it would be safer like that."

"And you'd like me to be in that group?" Ashei crossed her arms as Link nodded, "what's in it for me?"

"Money, gold... anything reasonable. But be cautioned, because the trip will be dangerous, and expect to use your sword."

"I want recognition and honor brought to my family by the queen herself."

"Deal," Link said as he stretched his hand out to her. She shook it firmly as he continued, "I'll be ready to go soon. Just have to pick up a letter from Zelda and we'll be off."

"How long will that take?"

Link grinned sheepishly, "a few hours."

* * *

**V**

** Death Mountain**

Within the next few days, Hyrule Castle's army was mobilized and brought to Death Mountain, which was quite a pain, since they had to take the alternate way around, away from the smoother path on Kakariko.

Zeal had deemed that this event was too dangerous for Zelda to appear in person, and sent himself as her representative. Although Darbus and Zeal were not too friendly to each other, they both did work together to fortify the path up to Death Mountain.

Thousands upon thousands of soldiers were crowding through the path, setting up barriers and spots for archers, and making certain pathways smoother for their cavalry.

Eventually, Darbus did know that he had to thank Zeal for the help, and approached the elderly man. "Thank you for the help, brother. As the patriarch of the proud Gorons, we are eternally grateful for the help that you have given us in protecting our home."

Zeal waved him off, "don't thank me. Thank Queen Zelda."

* * *

**VI**

**Kakariko**

Link and Ashei had finally received the letter and were sent of on Epona. After a few days of travel, the pair finally made it to Kakariko, and dismounted Epona. Link knew that it was too dangerous to dress in his regular garb, in the high chance that he is spotted. So he chose something more humble, in the form of a typical peasant's clothes. A green, ragged shirt and brown pants.

The city was infested with soldiers. They were going through the houses, searching for Goron sympathizers to jail. Thankfully the duo were not noticed, and they made it to the foot of the castle. Four guards stood at the gates, and Link presented them with the demand to see Lord Seto. Although some arguing took place, they were finally let in.

Lord Seto's main hall was rather full, with many rich and prestigious residents socializing in the castle. Lord Seto himself was sitting on the edge of the room, on his black throne. The four guards took Link and Ashei in their arms, and guided them to the front.

When Seto finally noticed, he commanded for the doors of the castle to be closed and locked, and stood up. "Hello Link, so good to see you again. I see you've been doing well from a financial standpoint since the funeral."

The crowd began to laugh as Link flushed red. Looking at himself now, he did look quite silly. While he wasn't too rich, his clothes belonged to the poorest of the poor.

Link released himself from the grip of the guards as he spoke back, "I'm not here to discuss wardrobe."

Seto laughed, "I can tell," he said as the crowd laughed after him.

_Two can play that game_, Link thought to himself. "I want to discuss a few messengers. Four, in fact."

"I have no idea what you're talking about. I have not spoken to any messengers of Hyrule Castle."

Link shook his head, "I never said they were of Hyrule Castle."

The crowd began to gasp, as Seto walked up to Link, "I will not give up my lands nor fortune to her. I have earned them rightfully, and the queen has no right to them. Furthermore, I deserve that land. None of the messengers fully respected me, and so I brought their heads to the cellars, and let their bodies burn."

Ashei gaped, "how could you? The Goddesses themselves declared that messengers may not be harmed!"

"Well, sometimes the Goddesses are wrong. Now then, is there a particular reason you're here?"

Link pulled out Zelda's letter from his sleeve and gave it to Seto.

_Dear Seto Harkinan, Lord of Kakariko,_

_My dearest uncle, you have betrayed me, and the royal family. Civil war has not happened in Hyrule for hundreds of years since our family has ascended to the throne, and I shall not let it happen ever again. Also, as you know, I have sent four Hylian messengers to you demanding that you forfeit your lands and armies for the good of the kingdom._

_None of these messengers have returned, and I fear that you have done the unthinkable. As a result, I demand for you to forfeit the greatest punishment of all: your life. Please return to Hyrule Castle immediately to be executed cleanly, or else we shall capture, torture and humiliate your dead body to the public._

_Zelda Harkinan, Lord of Hyrule Castle, Queen of Hyrule_

Seto read through the letter twice. With a smirk, he torn it up to pieces of paper and said, "it's a bunch of words on a piece of paper! Zelda has no jurisdiction over me! Kakariko is now an independent nation!" Seto shouted out loud, and many people began to cheer and applaud as he continued, "guards, send these two to the dungeons!"

Link and Ashei immediately drew out their swords as Seto sat down. The crowd backed away as a dozen guards surrounded Link and Ashei. Link valiantly fought against them, and stabbed one in the chest. He had sidestepped as a large sword nearly took off his arm in a single stroke. With quick jabs, Link downed two more guards. Only three guards had focused on Ashei. With a few quick stabs through their armour, one was taken down. Another defended himself quite excellently from Ashei's strikes, as the two engaged in a duel. The second guard decided to interfere in the battle, and stabbed Ashei in her shoulder blade. She fell down to the ground, clutching her wound and dropping the sword. Ten guards surrounded Link, and he was quickly knocked unconscious by a blow to the back of his head, from the flat side of the sword. The two were carried in to Kakariko's dungeons.

"All hail King Seto!" The crowd chanted in unison as he stood and raised his own sword.

"All hail King Seto!"

"All hail King Seto!"

* * *

**VII**

**Ordon**

Rusl's ship finally reached Ordon, travelling against the current of the river leading into the town. Harra had asked to go on the ship as well, and see Hyrule for himself. Juste and Yul reluctantly agreed to it.

All of the villagers crowded around the port, waiting for Rusl's family to arrive. The different family members left and went to their respective social groups. Rusl and Uli were talking, and laughing with Mayor Bo, while Colin and the other kids laughed and talked.

Since Harra rarely wanted to leave the castle, he didn't make any friends, and somewhat envied Colin for that. Although Juste could not see a reason to live in Ordon, Harra could.

Eventually Colin introduced Harra to the other children. Beth, Malo, and Talo all smiled at him, and went off to talk and play.

After a few hours, Harra had explored all of Ordon and thought that he met everybody, until he met a girl with short, blonde hair about his age picking flowers. He just stared at her for a few seconds, and she eventually turned around to see him standing there. She jumped a little, and backed away.

"Hello," Harra calmly said.

"Come any closer and I'll scream like a banshee. I mean it," Ilia warned him.

"Why do you need to do that?" Harra asked as he raised an eyebrow, "I'm not... I'm not going to hurt you, I'm just here with Rusl and Colin. My name is Prince Harra, of Termina."

"Wait, you're a prince?"

"Yes," Harra said as he went up towards her. She mentally prepared herself for self-defence. Instead of making contact with her, he bent down beside her and picked up a blue flower on the ground.

"We call that flower the Iliad," she said as he handed it to her.

"It's a beautiful flower. All of Ordon is beautiful. The trees, the rivers... you're lucky to live here."

Ilia smiled, "thank you... my name is Ilia, by the way."

Ilia and Harra could scarcely hear Colin yelling for Harra to come back to the ship, as they were going to depart.

Harra got up and looked at her, "well, it's nice to meet you, Ilia. I hope I can see you again another day," he said as he left.

Ilia didn't know what it was, but the sunset on the prince made him seem to shine, even though he wasn't wearing anything reflective. But that's when Ilia recognized that Harra truly was a knight in shining armor.

* * *

**END CHAPTER**

**Words: 5,156**

* * *

Author's Notes:

Hope you enjoyed this chapter!

I really did want to make this chapter longer, but it was sufficient. Plenty of things happen in this chapter, and it really helps to set the stage for the battle of Death Mountain. The next chapter is going to be when the real story starts, and these past two chapters have been just introducing the characters/setting.

Constructive criticism is always appreciated! Feedback is always welcome!

Stay awesome!


	3. Death Mountain

Author's Notes:

Even though this story doesn't really seem to attract reviews (even a simple "gj" is awesome), I'm amazed at the amount of views this story has gotten. This story has had about 120 visitors from every part of the world, which really is amazing. About two-thirds of my readers are American, but there are people that read this story from places I didn't know exist, like the Dominican Revar! Strange, Google Maps is telling me that the Dominican Revar isn't a real place...

Just a heads up, this story does contain character death, both canon characters and original characters. If this offends you, I'm sorry, and you should click away now.

Looking back through the chapters, the setting seems slightly confusing. Let me quickly explain what I've been going for:

Three years have passed since Twilight Princess. In that time frame, new islands previously unknown to the Hylian public were discovered. Those islands were Termina and Koholint. When the people of both islands were asked to swear loyalty and their lands to Hyrule, they refused, but peace still remained.

Termina is southwest of Kakariko (this is on the Wii version of the Twilight Princess map) and directly west of Ordon. Koholint is directly east of the desert.

Zelda's uncle Seto had built the castle in Kakariko, and breathed new life in to the deserted town. After that, the people proclaimed him the lord of that town, but he still swore loyalty to the king (now Zelda).

Manni, King of Koholint had funded a project to build a new city in the desert coast (eastern Hyrule) named Sand Port. This port was designed to make transportation between Koholint and Hyrule easier.

The only lapse in this story compared to LoZ : TP was that Zelda's father was the actual ruler, while Zelda appeared to be the ruler of Hyrule in Twilight Princess. That and Impa being in this story. And there's probably one other thing I'm forgetting, but I can't be bothered to remember it.

Also, I've changed the icon for this story. Before it was a picture of a castle. Now it's a picture of an armored king on a throne holding a sword. Atop it clearly says "The King's Last Words". I know that the bottom is a little hard to read. It says "Freedom has a Price..."

* * *

**CHAPTER 3**

**Death Mountain**

* * *

**I**

**Kakariko**

Link and Ashei were placed in a single cell, and two guards watched over them. The entire dungeon was below the castle, through a hidden entrance. The ground was cold and made of stone, and the cell was poorly illuminated by a single torch outside of the cell. Beside that torch lied the stairs out.

Two days had passed since they were put in the dungeon, and the cooks attempted to keep Link from knowing what time it was by the meals. Breakfast, lunch, and dinner: beans. However, they made a grave mistake in the sense that all three meals should be distanced at equal proportions. Instead lunch was served four hours after breakfast, just as it normally would, and dinner was served seven hours after lunch. Breakfast took place after the changing of the guards.

Since the rotation of who's guarding the cellar just changed, Link knew that this was his third day here, and it was morning, just before breakfast.

Despite figuring out the time, Link nor Ashei could figure out their fates. Perhaps they would be executed, to send a message to Zelda... or perhaps held hostage to keep Zelda from attacking. Ashei needed desperate medical attention for her shoulder, but couldn't receive it, no matter how much Link protested.

Link absolutely hated the cellar since he stepped inside of it. He felt defeated. But even worse than that, he felt useless. Link couldn't help squash Seto and his rebel allies to the ground.

One guard, who was burly and wore a full suit of armor, showed up, and beside him stood another one that looked quite similar. Their chests were decorated with the crow. The first one carried a tray of beans for the two.

"Hey, time to eat," the man said. Ashei watched him with a blank expression as he waved the food inside. Link sat in a corner, facing away from them. "Come on _hero_, time to eat."

Link did absolutely nothing at first, but recklessly pointed his middle finger at the guard. The first guard growled and opened up the cage with a whip. Link jumped up and smacked the guard to the wall, and took the whip. The second one blocked the door, and charged at Link, knocking him against the wall. Link's back was in an awful state, and he dropped to the ground. The guards muttered a few curse words and left.

"That was a stupid move," Ashei frowned.

"Needed to get the blood flowing."

Ashei raised an eyebrow, "for what? We're not going to be fighting any time soon." With that, Link sighed and lowered his head.

"I need to get out of here," Link replied as he gripped the bars, "I can't handle being a prisoner."

Ashei pondered for a moment, "Link... what's going to happen to us? Are we going to rot in here?"

"Hopefully not," Link sighed, "I'm planning on living to kill Seto myself."

"What if we die? Just here, and nobody finds our bodies? My culture says every person must die a beautiful death in order to go to Valhalla. Rotting in a cellar is _not_ a beautiful way to die."

"What counts as a beautiful death?"

"A sword shall kill me on the battlefield. An enemy's sword."

"Strange," Link smirked, "when I die, I would prefer to be 80. With a stomach of wine and meat, and to die simply of old age. Most of all, I would want to say goodbyes to those that I know."

* * *

**II**

**Hyrule Castle**

Now was a state of panic for Zelda. _Link should have been back by now_, she thought. It was a pretty stupid move of her to send him there, but if anybody could come back and confirm that the message was delivered, it was Link. The hero could be dead. Or imprisoned. If he was imprisoned, then what items would Zelda give to free him?

She had called her council to decide on it. Normally to her right was Zeal, but he was not here. To her left was Impa. At the other sides of the council were Auru and Shad, both members of the resistance group three years ago. Between them normally sat Link, but he was also missing.

A victory tune came whistling from the postman as he walked in. Auru sighed, "we should have sent _him_ to Kakariko first."

Everybody smiled, but the postman paid no heed. He took out a letter and handed it to Queen Zelda and took off.

"Read it out loud," Impa said.

"Under the influence of myself, King Seto, I formally declare Kakariko to be an independent nation, along with our new found ally, Termina. The land as part of my nation shall be the city of Kakariko. the gates surrounding the city, and the path to Death Mountain. We shall graciously create a new path to Death Mountain for you if you, Queen Zelda Harkinan, sue for peace. Otherwise, we will take the path by force, and declare war against any opposing forces."

Zelda immediately tore the paper in to small pieces.

Shad frowned, "They have Termina on their side? How? I thought Juste was an honourable man."

Zelda looked around, trembling, "I - I need advice."

"Let us go to war. Even without the Zoras, we outnumber them two to one," Shad said.

"If you want my advice," Auru said, "then we should be sending our armies east as well. No doubt that Manni will take advantage of this and attack us while we are unoccupied."

"Or he would join forces with Seto and surround us," Impa said.

"But we can't afford to lose too many soldiers to the east when we war against the west," Zelda sighed, "tell the general to fortify defenses along the desert. If he does advance on us, we'll know ahead of time."

"I'll give the orders," Impa left to find the army general.

Zelda took a piece of paper and began to write on it:

_To Seto Harkinan_

_This is our formal declaration of war against Kakariko and its armies. We will not sue for peace, as Kakariko is not an independent nation, nor will we give the path to Death Mountain, as that has rightfully been given to the Gorons by our late king Harkinan._

_Queen Zelda Harkinan of Hyrule Castle_

* * *

**III**

**Kakariko**

Thousands of men, holding banners of the turtle, the official symbol of Termina, marched in to Kakariko, led by Juste Valle himself. The entire city crowded outside of the theatre, with King Seto himself atop the stage. Beside him was a guillotine, and a few soldiers.

"Traitors to Kakariko shall not go unpunished!" Seto yelled, and the crowd applauded. "Bring in the traitors!"

Two Kakarikan soldiers carried Ashei onto the stage, and behind her, Link, also being dragged by soldiers.

"Take their heads!" One voice yelled in the crowd. A thousand more followed, chanting the same thing.

"What in the name of-" Juste muttered to himself as he watched the display, wide-eyed.

Link also had the same expression on his face as they were brought to the stage beside Seto. Both were unarmed. _I don't want to die like this_, Link whimpered to himself. He wanted to die valiantly and in battle. Not in a public execution. Ashei also appeared scared, but it was tough for Link to tell, since she showed so few emotions.

_This is not a beautiful death_, she thought quietly to herself.

"Link," she quietly said, "if you can, burn my body. That's the only way left for me to go to Valhalla."

Her words drowned out midst the cheering of the crowd. His heart raced.

_Thump, thump, thump._

"Off with their heads!"

"Kill the bastards!"

_Thump, thump, thump._

Suddenly, his whole life flashed before his eyes. He could see many images of himself through the years. When he turned sixteen, his adventure in the Twilight Realm, meeting Princess Zelda, and defeating Ganondorf. He may have done good things in his life, but he was still too young.

Ashei was brought to the guillotine first. Her neck was placed just above the heightened blade, held up by a masked man. Jared, Kakariko's army general also watched on the theatre stage, with somewhat of a frown.

_Thump, thump, thump._

"My king, this isn't appropriate," Jared whispered quietly to Seto.

"Nonsense, traitors go unpunished!" Seto retorted.

_Thump, thump, thump._

The crowd was roaring in anticipation as the guillotine was brought to its full height. A few gasps went through the audience as the executioner did so.

"My god!" Juste yelled, horrified by what we was about to witness. Nobody paid him any attention.

Eventually Seto did see Juste, and motioned words that appeared to say, "I'll talk to you later."

_Thump, thump, thump._

The roars of the crowd only got louder as the executioner finally let go of the rope holding the blade up. The blade went down, crashing down and slashing Ashei's neck. Her lifeless head rolled over a few feet before finally stopping. The executioner got a plastic bag and put Ashei's head in to it.

_I'm sorry, Ashei. I can't give you your beautiful death._

The crowd began to clap their approval, and now it was Link's turn. His head was placed on the guillotine as the blade went up.

"STOP IT!" Juste's voice shouted above everybody else's as he ran to the stage up to Seto. "What in the name of the Goddesses are you doing?"

"You heard him, stop it," Seto gave the orders as Link head was released, "those two have attempted to kill me. Only fair that I return the favour."

"This is madness! Link is far more valuable to us alive than dead!"

"We'll talk about this after the battle," Seto grinned.

Juste crossed his arm, "and when is that?"

"It'll start within the hour."

Link was let up from the guillotine, and opened his eyes. Immediately he was knocked down to the wooden flooring, and dragged back to his cell. He eyed Seto, and Jared. There was a third man with them, but he couldn't quite see his face.

* * *

Seto's army was fully prepared. Along the front were vanguards, who carried giant shields that protected the rest of the army in their advancement. Behind them were soldiers, who thirsted for the blood of their enemies. Behind Seto's soldiers were Juste's soldiers, proudly carrying his flag. Behind all of them were the archers and cavalry.

At the twelfth hour of the day, they had advanced. From near the back, Seto and Juste watched the soldiers marching. Their soldiers cried out as they began to run, seeing the enemy uphill. The archers readied their bows, and fired at each other. All around their army, soldiers fell, but they still advanced. Eventually Gorons tumbled down towards their army, hitting vanguards and cavalry along the way. Some were killed along the way by a stray arrow.

Hylian men began to light their arrows on fire and aim them at the grass around them. Fires enveloped around them, but the armies proceeded onwards. In response, the sole catapult they brought flung rocks and bombs beyond the hill, shaking Death Mountain by the impacts.

It wasn't until Juste saw Hyrule Castle's banner that he began to worry. Atop the mountain, Zeal saw Juste's banners flying high, and Juste wanted to run away. To apologize for his actions. The last objective on his mind was to wage war against Hyrule Castle. That would be a war he simply could not win. He wanted to kill Seto for getting him involved in such an action. He wanted to gain a powerful ally in Kakariko. Not make any significant enemies.

"Charge!" One soldier screamed as he led the battle. An arrow impaled his stomach, and he fell to the ground.

Still, his army proudly marched onward. Many men screamed in pain as their chests were impaled with arrows. Blood was all around them, but they continued to advance uphill. Many of his men were dying around him, but the true battle did not start until the Hyrule soldiers rushed against them to fight face-to-face.

The sound of swords clashing was deafening. Juste looked to see Seto smiling. Despite the heavy casualties of their armies, they were advancing without too many problems.

"Keep going!" Seto commanded, "this battle is one that shall be remembered in history! The day Kakariko defeats the Gorons!"

One Hylian soldier ran up to Juste with his sword held high. Halfway in his path, an arrow impaled the soldier in the chest. He gripped the injury and fell down on the ground. When Juste finally made it to the point where the man fell, he looked the soldier in the eyes. The soldier looked back, straight at him. With great pity, Juste took out his own sword and ended his misery.

Most of his vanguard was taken out. Cavalry still rode strong on both sides as men fell from their horses. Just slightly ahead of them, the King of Termina witnessed a stray horse knocking one of his men down to the ground. When the man tried to roll over, the horse stomped on the man, undoubtedly crushing all of his rubs and puncturing organs in the process. Blood started to drip from that man's mouth.

On the other side of the battle, Darbus started to panic. Nobody had expected Termina's help, and they were heavily outnumbered. If they had the Zora's help, they might be on more even terms, but they're missing. Seto's army continued to advance midst the heavy archery fire. More and more Gorons rolled downhill to engage the enemy, but most were killed before they could reach the bulk of their army.

Zeal and Darbus exchanged worrying glanced. "This isn't good," Zeal quietly said. Darbus shook his head.

"We're not going to retreat. We've held this land for thousands of years," Darbus replied.

"Is that an excuse to let your people die?" Zeal raised an eyebrow.

"My people want to die defending their lands. It's the only way our ancestors will approve of us!"

_Who cares what dead people think?_ Zeal thought to himself. He did not say anything however. A few feet away from them, a bomb exploded, and the debris left a small crater there.

The sound was deafening as men shouted and yelled and begged for mercy. That was never given.

Eventually, Seto's army pushed to the highest point on the hill. After that, it was downhill to Death Mountain. A second wave of archers began to fire at Seto's army from the heights of Death Mountain. Many Hylian men lost their spacing and had to back up. However, it was difficult to find a good rally point since they were going downhill.

The archers atop Death Mountain couldn't do hit anything, since they were up so high. Eventually Zeal ordered for his men to retreat and rally at the base of Death Mountain. Only a thousand Hylians remained, and fewer Gorons. Thousands upon thousands of soldiers poured uphill, and many of the Hylian soldiers fled.

"Go," Gor Coron whispered to Darbus and Zeal, "run away from here. You shall fight another battle on another day."

"What about you, my brother?" Darbus asked, looking worried for the elder.

"I'll be fine. Go!"

The two left Death Mountain as a white flag was raised by Gor Coro. Instantly, every Hylian and Goron dropped their weapons and bent low, signalling defeat. Juste and Seto were on horses, and approached the base of the mountains.

* * *

For the past hour, Link heard nothing but shouts and swords clashing. Then, it all stopped. Link sat down in his cold cellar. He feared the worst.

"How does it feel? To know that you've lost?" One of the guards grinned at him.

Link looked up, and forced a smile, "I'll ask you that once we've won the war."

The guard sat outside of the cellar, "this is the golden age for Kakariko. A turning point in Hyrule's history. After this war is over, we shall rule the kingdom."

"The royal family has not lost the throne in the past thousand years. What makes you think that you'll be able to take it?" Link retorted.

"King Seto is the rightful king. He shall guide us to victory and glory."

"One win does not assure victory."

"Better than one loss," the guard smirked.

* * *

Knights surrounded the mountain, and forced any civilians out of it. They rounded up every civilian, Hylian soldier and Goron into one group.

Juste found Seto midst the crowd and pulled him away, "explain to me what Hylian soldiers are doing here!"

"Queen Zelda has declared war against me after I refused to give up my lands and riches," King Seto replied.

"Great, now you've dragged me in to this war with you..." Juste felt like pulling his hair out, "this is an impossible war that we cannot win!"

"Relax, we've won this battle."

"This was one bloody battle! There are dozens more to come, and no doubt that we'll lose most of those!"

A servant brought Seto some wine. Between sips, Seto talked, "We'll win this. We just need to be smarter than them. This is what I say: I will take northern Hyrule for us while your armies head south and take the southern and eastern parts."

"Define 'eastern parts'."

"Koholint and the desert. In addition, you might as well take Ordon and Faron. Those two will be easy enough. With all of that, we can surround Hyrule Castle, rally enough men and siege the castle. I shall control what I have conquered, and you shall rule over Hyrule Castle and any areas you have conquered."

"What if we lose?"

"We won't lose," Seto grinned. With that, Juste left, frustrated. No doubt that Juste will remain on Seto's side, since Zelda won't take an apology from him. Of course Seto wouldn't give half the kingdom and Hyrule Castle away once they win. Seto can just... dispose of Juste and his family. With a grin, Seto took another sip of wine.

Juste continued to walk around and see the destruction. Half of him was happy of the victory. The other was unhappy about who his only ally was. Noticing all of the Hylian soldiers and Gorons being led in one small group to Kakariko, he immediately asked Jared (Kakariko's army general) what was happening.

"They're our prisoners now. We're taking Death Mountain," he answered, "we'll just lock them away in the dungeons. He eyed Gor Coron and the other elders, "we might have to kill a few to make room. But now we have both the hero of light and the Goron elders."

"What about Darbus?" Juste raised an eyebrow. Jared shook his head. "Zeal?"

"Neither of them are here."

_Damn the elders,_ Juste thought to himself. They really were nothing but symbols to the Gorons. The real prizes were Darbus and Zeal.

* * *

**IV**

**West Hyrule Fields**

Darbus and Zeal traveled through the fields on foot. The journey stretched out beyond them and their food supplies were running low.

"I'm worried about Gor Coron," Darbus reminded the old man.

"Well, I'm worried about getting home without starving or getting murdered," Zeal retorted, "we should have brought some food."

"That can't be helped, brother."

Zeal searched through his pockets, and found a few rupees. He held it in his hand and began to count. _5... 10... 20... 40... 41... 42... 47._

"Can forty-seven rupees buy us anything? A horse, maybe?" Zeal asked.

Darbus began to laugh, "not a horse, no. A lunch, perhaps."

Zeal stopped in his tracks and looked around, "do you see any taverns?"

"I know of one only a few minutes away from here," Darbus smiled, "if you would like, we can go immediately and continue to Hyrule Castle later on. I'm starving."

"Wait, can't you just eat rocks?" Zeal raised an eyebrow.

"That's a stereotype."

* * *

The tavern was filled with laughter and talk as the duo walked in. Instantly, eyes went on the two of them as they entered. The entire tavern fell silent at once.

"We are sorry to hear of your loss," one of the men said, "but it really isn't safe for you to be showing your faces in public. Seto's paying anybody who captures and brings the both of you a handsome amount."

"You're lucky we're all sworn to the Queen. If it were any other group of people, they would have taken you in bags the moment they saw you," another man added.

Zeal cleared his throat, "well, we are grateful for that information. All we need is some food and we'll be off."

The two stood on stools as the laughter and talk continued. A waitress came to take their orders.

"Anything cheap, and a wine for my friend here," Darbus told her. She immediately went to find them something.

"I don't drink," Zeal replied The entire tavern went silent.

"How can you live without even a sip of wine?" A voice rose from the crowd.

"Drink!" Another voice chanted, and more followed.

"Drink! Drink! Drink!"

The waitress brought back a salad for Darbus and a glass of wine for Zeal. He waved it away, and many people started to yell louder.

"Drink! Drink! Drink!"

"I don't drink!" Zeal yelled back.

Even Darbus joined in, "drink! Drink! Drink!"

"I do not drink! Keep on chanting this and I will have every single one of you hanged!" Zeal shouted above all of the other voices. Instantly the tavern fell silent as he took the salad and handed the beer off to Darbus.

The tavern remained silent after that, up until the waitress brought the bill. All together, it costed the pair two hundred rupees.

"How?" Darbus asked, infuriated.

The waitress shrugged, "rumours of war have been driving prices through the roof."

"We don't have two hundred rupees." Darbus replied.

"I'm sure my boss will exempt the two of you from paying this one time," she said as she left.

"Well, that's nice, free lunch!" Darbus smiled.

"Have you no shame?" Zeal snapped at him as they left, "we are not so poor that we avoid paying for meals."

"Do we have any other choice?"

Zeal sighed in defeat. He made a mental note of visiting the tavern again to pay the full two hundred rupees.

* * *

**V**

**Hyrule Castle**

Zelda slammed her fist on the desk, "no!" Tears started to appear from her eyes. The battle lost, Juste betraying her, and Link and the Gorons captured. _How can this happen__? _

Impa was beside her, comforting her.

"That was poorly planned on our side. We still have a numbers advantage, and relations with the Zoras are becoming much better. Soon enough, they may join us."

"They won't," Zelda quietly muttered, "they freeze in the cold. They won't step outside if there's so much as an inch of snow on the ground. I want Link back. That's the priority."

"The only way they'll release him is if we surrender," Shad said, "or we capture somebody more important. So for now, we must forget about Link."

"He's right," Auru added, "we have to protect the kingdom. Between Termina and Kakariko, their armies nearly match us. If Koholint attacks us as well, we cannot hold up for too long."

"What are you suggesting?" Zelda asked.

"We make peace with Koholint."

Impa shrugged her head, "they'll want too much in exchange for peace. That and Manni's words mean nothing. He's a born liar."

"It'll be better to find out what they want in exchange for peace," Auru added, "that'll be a start."

"If we ask them for peace, Manni's going to become less hesitant to attack us because it makes us look scared of him. That's not our goal."

"What can we do then?" Shad asked.

Zelda lowered her glass of wine, "send a spy to the Sand Port. That spy'll keep us updated on what happens on a regular basis there. If troops begin to flow in and out of the city more often, we get to know. If anybody important is in the city, we get to know."

Just then, Darbus and Zeal walked in to the main hall, and took seats. Darbus sat where Link normally sat, while Zeal returned to his regular seat.

"You know, the Sand Port has a very large Goron population," Auru said as he smiled, staring at Darbus. The Goron sat there, oblivious to what was happening.

"Alright," Zelda spoke, "Darbus, you shall head to the Sand Port, east of here. Act as one of the inhabitants there. Regularly report to us on what's new there."

"I come back from a battle that countless men die from, and this is what happens?" Darbus raised an eyebrow, "so many of my brethren died there. I would prefer to just mourn over the fact that I've lost my home... the home my ancestors have defended with their lives."

"Are you loyal to your queen?" Impa asked Darbus. The Goron nodded, "then you shall obey her without question."

Darbus sighed and looked at Auru, "Sand Port also has a large human population. Typically, Gorons and humans hate each other over there, so we might as well have a human spy there as well. Maybe..." Darbus smiled at Auru, "somebody who has experience of the desert?"

Queen Zelda smiled, "excellent idea! It is settled. Darbus, Auru: you two are to go to Sand Port as spies and report back any information you hear. Also, it would be safer if the two of you did not know each other. The two of you shall leave at dusk."

Auru glared at Darbus. Darbus smiled back.

* * *

**VI**

**Sand Port**

It was a bold move for Aman to move all the way to Sand Port. Under her father's orders, she was to watch over the city. Everything turned out well as she became acquainted with the officials there. However, on the most recent day, _he_ showed up.

"Hello sister," Ramsi smiled as he entered the town hall, "I trust that you've been well, even without me."

For a moment, she was at a loss for words. "What are you doing here?"

"Uncle Manni sent me here. Don't worry, I won't be long."

"What are you doing here?" She repeated herself.

"I'm going to build a few ships in this town's harbour," he replied, "two days ago a fire broke out and we lost two warships, and the harbour in Koholint has been damaged to the point that it's unusable."

She frowned, "Sand Port doesn't have the men nor the materials needed to build ships."

Ramsi smiled again, "not yet. But it will."

Furiously, Aman rose up from her seat and left the town hall. The building was made out of marble on the inside, and it was fully carpeted. Many other people were there, whether they were paying taxes or addressing issues inside of the city. The richer population were made of humans, and the slums of Sand Port were inhabited by Gorons. The roads were paved of stone, and sand covered the city across. In the day, the heat was close to unbearable. In the night, the city was so cold that it was unbearable. _No time to look at the city,_ Ramsi thought to himself, _time to build ships_.

In the next few days, shipbuilders, wood, and other materials were supposed to arrive here. Manni even said that Ramsi could name the ships himself.

* * *

**VII**

**Kakariko**

Link sat in his cell, with his face being held with his hands. He was hungry, thirsty, and cold. Worse, he failed his mission. He also led Ashei to her death. While he did warn her the path would be dangerous, he did not say that they could lose their lives.

Now she's gone, yet he lives. He led Ashei to her death.

_It should have been me_, Link thought sullenly, _I deserve to die._

"Get up, King Seto wants to see you," one of the guards said to him as the door was unlocked. Link's hands were in chains behind his back, and he was too weak to fight. He silently followed the guard up the stairs, to Seto's throne room.

Seto stood in front of his throne, wearing a crown. "Hello Link," he said, "I have a few questions."

"I don't know anything," Link answered.

Seto smirked, "every time he refuses to answer my question, cut a wound deeper in to his right arm."

One of the guards unsheathed his sword, and placed it just above Link's arm as Seto continued, "what do you know of Zelda's plans?"

"She's planning on crushing you in to the dirt," Link answered, and spat on the carpet, right where the symbol of the crow lied.

"Cut him," Seto ordered.

The guard lifted up Link's sleeve just enough so that bare skin was visible. He pressed the sword against the bare skin and blood began to drip out. The guard did not move the sword.

"What do you know of Zelda's plans?" Seto repeated himself.

"I've already answered that!" Link retorted. The guard placed more pressure on the sword as it cut deeper into Link's skin. The hero ground his teeth together to avoid crying out in pain.

"What do you know? Anything will suffice!"

"I know that nobody will want you as their king after they realize just how hateful you are."

"Answer me, or else he shall cut deeper. Just a warning, hero of light... if he cuts too deep, you may lose control of your arm," Seto calmly replied.

"I know nothing!" Link repeated as the guard placed the sword even deeper into Link's wound. Link started to scream in pain and resist, but it was futile.

"Answer me!"

Link spat once again on the crow, and Seto stood up. "Guards," he said, "let go of him. I shall take care of him myself."

As soon as the guards let go of Link, the boy in green dropped to the ground, clutching his arm in pain. Seto grabbed Link by the hair and pulled him outside with one hand, and held a large rock with the other. The guards winced when they heard the sound of the rock hitting Link's face, leaving bruises and bloodstains. Link screamed in pain as Seto kept on yelling at Link, "answer me!"

The boy would never answer. After a few minutes, Seto finally let go of Link, frustrated as he went back to his throne. The guards carried Link back in to the dungeon.

After Link was locked up again, all of the guards left, except one. That one guard began to speak to Link in a way that no other guard spoke to him before.

"Link, was it? I'm sorry for your pain," the guard said, "I'm sorry for what he's done to you. To your friend as well."

Link got up and looked the guard in the eyes, even though he was wearing a helmet, "Thank you for your apologies."

Link grunted as he applied more pressure on the wound, but blood still dripped out.

"Here," the guard handed him a rag, "cover your wound with your own clothing, then cover your clothing with this."

Link raised an eyebrow and cautiously took the rag. He was expecting for the guard to quickly whip his outreached hand, but he did no such thing.

"Thanks," Link quietly muttered as he gripped his right arm.

The guard took off his helmet, revealing blue eyes and long brown hair, "my name's Bruno, by the way." He stretched a hand out through the cell bars.

Link smiled, "Link. Pleased to meet you," he said as he shook Bruno's hand.

* * *

**VIII**

**East Hyrule Field**

In the night, King Bulbin rides on Lord Bullbo, alongside his companions. Nobody knows what his first name is, not even himself. It's not like a Bulbin to assign himself a name, since the herd wants to stay in unison as much as possible, and anything differentiating people was frowned upon.

Three years ago, King Bulbin promised Hyrule that his days of pillaging were over after surrendering to Link. However, it was tough to stop, since that's what he was raised doing. He had a hunter's mind, just like Link.

Looking back at their relationship, Link and King Bulbin had a lot in common. Both of them were born to travel, and hated staying in one spot. They also rode a wild animal that they treated as an ally, and they rarely talked. It wasn't that either of them were particularly shy, it's just that they didn't talk. Link's changed from that, however.

Occasionally King Bulbin and his horde did patrol the roads along the Hyrule Fields for any citizens to scare and/or rob. After years of experience, King Bulbin could practically smell a foreigner on the road.

On that night, a carriage led by two horses passed on the road going from Hyrule City. A man and a Goron were sitting inside of it as they headed off Sand Port, the only logical destination.

Once King Bulbin saw the carriage, he drew his sword. _The chase begins_, he thought to himself as he followed the carriage in to the darkness. His horde sounded the attack horns. This is what he lived for.

* * *

**END CHAPTER**

**Words: 6,149**

* * *

Author's Notes:

Hope you enjoyed this chapter! Reviews are always appreciated, whether positive or constructive (just not hateful).

This story doesn't get too gory, in case you're wondering. There are plenty of deaths, however. As was in this chapter, you have been warned!


	4. No Mercy

Author's Notes:

Time for a new chapter!

* * *

**CHAPTER 4**

**No Mercy**

* * *

**I**

**East Hyrule Field**

"Can you move slightly?" Auru asked Darbus as they rode the carriage to Sand Port. Darbus took up most of the room, and left Auru very little.

"No," Darbus resolutely answered, "this is what you get for volunteering me to go here."

"If you've forgotten, you also volunteered me here as well!"

"You started it!" Darbus snapped back at Auru, but saddened, "I'm sorry, I'm just a little upset. So many of my brethren died for nothing. I've lost my home. I'm not worthy to be patriarch of the Gorons..."

For about an hour, the two rode in silence into the night. Then, a familiar war horn sounded from only person. The origin of the sound was only a few minutes away from them. The two glanced at each other silently as they figured out what was happening.

King Bulbin was right on their tail.

Darbus whipped the reins, making the two go faster. Not fast enough, and they could begin to hear Lord Bullbo's paws hit the ground at an alarmingly fast speed.

"Hurry up!" Auru yelled. The horn sounded again as Auru looked back at their chasers. King Bulbin rode on his steed, and there were four more Bulbins there as well, all on their own Bullbos.

No matter how hard Darbus tried, the horses would not outpace King Bulbin. Eventually, the king appeared on the left of them, raising up his helmet just enough to smile at them. On their right were the four Bulbins.

Lord Bullbo smacked against the carriage as they rode, shaking the cart, but not enough to quite tip them over. Looking at Auru's pocket, the Bulbins could clearly see dozens of rupees inside of it, and the moonlight appeared to make them shine purple.

"Go faster!" Auru screamed at Darbus as they were getting rocked back and forth by King Bulbin's attempt to tip them over and rob them.

"These horses only go so fast!" Darbus retorted, "but I have a better idea."

Darbus turned the carriage and released his grip on the horses, causing the carriage to smack the Bulbins as they fell off. King Bulbin kept on, and continued to ram the carriage. After a few more attempts, the carriage finally tipped over, with the horses on the ground as well.

King Bulbin stopped in his tracks as he checked through Darbus's pockets. Nothing - just as he had expected. What he did not expect was a punch right in the stomach by the Goron, followed by a kick to the head, sending the king unconscious. The king's sword lied there, in the mud.

"Let's go before he wakes up," Darbus said, "he'll remember that one."

Together he managed to lift the horses up and the carriage as they continued on their journey. As a token of his victory, Darbus took the sword with pride.

After three days, they finally made it to the Sand Port.

* * *

**II**

**Termina**

Three days had passed since the battle for Death Mountain. Many residents of Termina had enlisted, eager to fight and defend their island. Instantly, an army of twenty thousand doubled overnight.

In Juste's home, family relations were becoming worse. As Juste prepared for war, he denied Harra the opportunity to serve under him, even though his oldest son was of age. To add to the insult, he did take Brandon with him as he prepared for the navy.

After days of arguing, Juste finally did allow for Harra to join in preparations for war.

"You will attack alongside the southern coasts," Juste told his son a few days ago, "you will be granted one ship and one hundred men to go with it."

"One ship?" Harra asked, "and who lives on the southern coasts? Just farmers and fishers! You have a hundred ships at your disposal, and I should be able to join you on the seas and land!"

"You will have more power once I feel that you are ready," Juste answered him.

"I am ready!"

"You are not ready! You are lazy and incompetent and a disgrace to the Valle name. Consider yourself lucky I gave you the one ship."

The two stopped arguing after that. That was right before Harra met his crew.

* * *

Harra set foot on the deck of his own ship, _Blackthorne_, as his crew assembled before him. Most of them were much older than him, and about half of them were bald. The other half had a significant hairline. They were all laughing and talking among themselves, and definitely appeared comfortable about being on the sea.

_At least dad found me some experienced sailors_, Harra thought to himself, "Hello!" He cried out. None of them paid any attention as they continued talking. Harra called out again, "hello!" Still no response or eyes on him. He sighed and raised his voice, "are you any of you listening to me?"

"We're waiting for orders!" One sailor said to Harra.

"My name is Prince Harra Valle of Termina, and I am your captain. We are going to plunder southern Hyrule to take their gold and other items, and if you do a good enough job, you will keep your share of the spoils."

Another sailor cried out, "and who decides if we do a good enough job?"

Harra smiled, "I will, of course!"

That same sailor laughed in a wretched voice, "listen here, boy! I've been on the sea since before you were born! If you think you can tell me how to do my job, then you've another thing coming!"

The sailors all laughed in unison as Harra reddened. Eventually he did let them on the ship as they took their respective positions on deck. As the anchor was brought up and a breeze flew east, they set sail.

One man, little older than Harra, came up to him. He had hazel eyes and black hair, and wore the typical uniform of a Terminian sailor, with a patch of a turtle on his chest, "hello Prince Harra. My name is Blackthrone, and I am the owner and manager of this ship and crew."

"Are all sailors like this group?" Harra raised an eyebrow.

"Yes," he nodded, "but it's not their fault. It's yours. You see, they want a leader who has experience. I was treated the same when I first sailed. I knew everything the books said, but nobody would listen to me. Now I command my own ship. That comes from experience. The more time you've spent on sea, the more respect you earn. How much experience do you have at sea?"

"N-none," Harra stammered.

"Exactly. You need to do something amazing for them to follow your orders," he smiled.

"Like what?"

"You decide."

Harra sat down and thought about an action that would warrant the respect of both his father and his crew. After a moments, he approached Blackthorne again, "We're setting sail to Ordon. The village will be ours."

Blackthorne smiled, "excellent choice."

* * *

**III**

**Zora's Domain**

Two weeks had passed, and winter has not arrived yet. Tito, Prince Ralis' grandmother, called this a good omen, and most of the Zoras enjoyed the extended summer. Cold weather was nowhere in sight, and Tito said to expect more weeks of summer.

As a result, Prince Ralis and Somra planned their wedding four weeks from this day.

The water was just the right temperature, and Zoras continued to enjoy themselves. Prince Ralis sat the edge of the river, watching the Zoras swim.

"Now that we're outside again, don't you think that we should be helping Queen Zelda right now?" Tito asked him as she approached him. She slowly sat down beside him.

"I don't want to see my people hurt," he answered.

"Zelda doesn't want to see her people hurt, but this is what it comes to. Queen Zelda is your closest ally, and you can't expect her to help us in our time of need if we refuse to help her," she replied.

"So what should I do?"

"You know the answer to that."

Prince Ralis stood up, "I'll take the honor guards and travel to Hyrule Castle. Queen Zelda is my ally, and I shall fight alongside her."

Tito smiled as he left. He truly was just like his mother.

* * *

**IV**

**Hyrule Castle**

Queen Zelda lied in her bedchamber, sullen. She missed Link, and hadn't seen him in almost a week. She wanted a way to make sure that he's alright. That he's being fed and taken care of. Better yet, he deserves to be free.

He deserves to be free.

Even if he did come back here, would he want to be here? He's right, he needs to keep on travelling. Link can't stay in one place for too long. But would he be okay with staying here, beside her? Sometimes Zelda did question whether Link would be happier without her, yet the answer was always no. Now, with him finally gone, she began to have second thoughts.

Now she just wanted him gone from Kakariko. She doesn't have any spies in the city there, so she had no idea whether he was being abused or not. She didn't even know if he was alive.

The darkness of her room did not help. She walked over to open up the window. The sky was cloudy and grey, but amazingly, still no snow.

"Zelda, it's me," Impa's voice followed a knock on the door.

"Come in," Zelda responded.

Impa brought in a tray with various snacks. Tea, sugar, biscuits, among other things. Impa left it on the foot of Zelda's bed as she sat down beside Zelda.

"I'm worried about him," Zelda quietly muttered.

"We all are," Impa reminded her, "but we can't rescue him if we don't dispose of Seto first. For now, you need to forget about him."

"What if he's hurt?"

"He's strong, and he can survive."

Zeal walked in to her bed chambers, "Prince Ralis wants to see you, my queen."

"Tell him I'll be there shortly," Zelda replied, wiping off stray tears.

Prince Ralis bowed in attention of the queen. She took her seat at the throne and smiled at Ralis. The prince stood up.

"Hello, my queen," he said, "on behalf of the Zoras, I apologize for our lack of participation in defending Death Mountain."

"Prince Ralis, you and your people are forgiven," Zelda replied. In reality, they were not forgiven. The weather was warm, and Death Mountain never had any snow. The environment posed no threat to the Zoras.

"I thank you for your mercy, my queen. I also would like to tell you that our armies are mobilized to serve you."

Zelda was rather surprised by this. She had not expected the Zoras to help her so close to winter (which _still _had not arrived).

"Thank you, Prince Ralis. May the Goddesses shine brightly on you." Zelda genuinely meant that. In a time where so many major powers were turning their backs on her, it was nice to have an ally. Even if that ally was sixteen years old, he was better than nothing.

* * *

**V**

**Kakariko**

Link's treatment wasn't getting much better. Whenever Bruno's shift came, he did bring medical supplies to Link, or small morsels of food in secret.

It was awfully generous of Bruno, but at what cost was Bruno doing this at? What are his motives?

"Why are you helping me?" Link asked Bruno when they were alone.

Bruno smiled, "we all have our reasons for our actions."

"And what are yours?"

"Sorry, but I can't tell you."

Link raised an eyebrow, "so you're helping me but you can't tell me why?"

"Strange world we live in, huh? Everybody has their own motive. That's what makes this interesting."

"What?"

Bruno chuckled, "don't you get it? It's a game! The winner lives, the losers die. Those people are Zelda, Seto, Juste, and Manni. Their goal is to win. Under them are the commoners, people like you and me. We have our own goals, whether we want power, gold, or happiness, we choose. The game is so much more flexible for us."

"And what's your goal?" Link asked.

"I want to tell you, but it's safer not to."

"Who would I tell? I'm stuck here and can't talk to anybody but you!"

"You might tell people after I free you," Bruno smirked.

"You- you're going to free me?"

"After the sun sets, my next shift starts. At that point we shall run from here. Oh, and for the sake of both of us, don't say that to the other guards," Bruno said as he left.

* * *

In the throne room, many of the commanders met to discuss their conquest of Hyrule. The southern and eastern coasts were to be taken by Juste. That left the land surrounding Hyrule Castle.

A large map of Hyrule was placed on the table, and the generals used chess pieces to represent armies.

"Our first and foremost goal is to cut off help between Zora's Domain and Hyrule Castle," Jared said.

"I say that we surround Hyrule Castle and block off supplies from Ordon at the same time. We'll force the residents there to constantly fear that they'll go under siege. Food will run low, and they'll start to rebel against the queen," one commander said.

"We are _not _starving innocent civilians!" Another commander said.

"This is war!"

"Have you lost your humanity?" Another voice cried out.

"Silence!" Seto cried out, "we are not starving civilians. Nor are we covering Hyrule Castle's east! If we do that we'll be in the middle of Hyrule Castle and Koholint. No doubt Manni will be marching on Hyrule Castle soon enough, and we shouldn't be the ones suffering from that."

"If we can't cover their east, then supplies will stay flowing through the city without problems," Thom, another commander, said.

Seto approached the man with a quizzical expression on his face. At once King Seto drew out a knife and stabbed Thom in the chest, causing everybody to gasp. When the dead man hit the ground, Seto inspected his jacket, only to find the dragon pin inside of it. The dragon pin belonged to the royal family of Koholint. "A spy," Seto concluded as he walked away, "order somebody to clean this up."

* * *

**VI**

**Ordon**

Ever since Colin left, most of the children in the village became much more quiet. As the children of this village began waking up, bells rang. The villagers went outside to see what was happening.

One hundred men, armed with spears and swords, appeared in the village centre. Behind them was a rather large ship (by Ordon's standards). Leading the group of men was Harra.

"Under his grace, King Juste Valle of Termina, I am taking this city under his name!" Harra announced. Dozens of villagers appeared before him. "I shall treat you all with respect and integrity, and allow for you to continue with your lives, provided that you serve me loyally!"

"Ordon is a free city. We have a democracy!" Bo retorted.

Harra approached him, "oh? Who's the mayor then?"

"I am," Mayor Bo replied.

The prince of Termina held a sword to Bo, "stand down and resign!"

"I'd rather die than give up Ordon to you!" Bo shouted, and spat on Harra's cloak.

"You will yield!"

"Father, yield," Ilia quietly said, "I don't want to see you hurt."

"Do as she commands!"

"I'd die before following you!" Bo shouted, "have you no shame? This village has fought no wars nor will we ever participate in one. We have no weapons to defend ourselves with!"

Harr put the sword away, "men, lock him away in the dungeons."

"I don't think that this village has a dungeon," Blackthorne said.

"Well... lock him in his own basement, I suppose," Harra quietly said. Then he raised his voice to the villagers, "if any of you betray me, your mayor shall be the first to lose his life!"

A few gasps went through the audience as Mayor Bo was put in chains and carried to his own home. The crowd dispersed shortly afterwards.

Blackthrone walked away but Harra caught up with him, "Blackthorne, sail back to Termina to inform the king of my annexation of Ordon."

"Will do, Prince Harra."

* * *

**VII**

**Sand Port**

Auru and Darbus finally made it to their destination, and unloaded their carriage. Zelda had told them to stay away from each other, so they took their supplies and split them in half. Auru was supposed to communicate and spy on the human population of the Sand Port, while Darbus was supposed to spy on the Gorons. Darbus had to stay in a lower class area, since that's where most of the Gorons were.

Auru had booked an inn for the time being. He was well prepared from a financial standpoint, but didn't have a single contact in the city. Nevertheless, he journeyed to his inn to stay.

After years of living and exploring the desert, Auru became accustomed to the heat. And truthfully, it was nice to see people living here now.

The inn was for upper class citizens, and payment per day was outrageously high. The only reason that Auru could afford it was because the queen was supporting him financially, but nobody here needed to know that.

The innkeeper was a woman, perhaps in her mid thirties. She smiled at Auru as he walked in, "hello, may I help you?"

The inn was gloriously cool compared to the temperatures outside. A large chandelier coated with crystals hung in the middle of the lobby, and many men wearing suits were talking among themselves.

"I have a reservation," Auru approached her.

"May I know your first and last name, please?"

"I never wrote anything for the last name. My first name is Auru."

The innkeeper skimmed through the book on her desk as she looked for his name. After a few pages, it was there, in the bottom. Beside it read _Room 219_.

"Here's your key," she handed the item to him. He proceeded upstairs to unpack his bags.

* * *

Ramsi decided to name the ships _Hurricane, Typhoon, _and _Tornado_. Appropriate names, considering how massive he planned them out to be. An old factory producing cloths was quickly converted to a shipbuilder, and the roof was taken off.

Men with experience began to study the dimensions of the ship and built out the frame of the first one.

_Hurricane_ was to be the biggest of the three. Capable of holding as many as five thousand men on board (although not very comfortably) and a terrifyingly large number of cannons. Definitely not cheap, but Manni has the money for such a task.

Dozens of men began working on it that day. It started with a long wooden shaft placed on the ground, nearly reaching from one end of the factory to the other. Afterwards, a curved piece of wood put on the end of it. One by one, the spine of the ship was nailed in to place, and building became quicker and quicker.

Of course, it wouldn't be ready to sail for at least a week, with all of the preparations needed. Father would be proud of it, Ramsi decided. It would make Manni more proud of Ramsi than his sister, Aman.

Aman was always held in a brighter light than Ramsi. Manni thought of her as smarter and more able for such tasks. Without even having proved herself, he just gave her Sand Port to command. In his attempt to match it, he gave Ramsi the responsibility of building and managing Koholint's navy. Not quite the same honour, but it was good enough to make Ramsi happy.

For Manni, Sand Port was only the beginning of his empire. No doubt he planned on conquering all of Hyrule and Termina. That was common knowledge that everybody knew. Nobody, not even Queen Zelda, wants to do anything, simply because they're scared of him. Even to his own nephew, Manni did come off as an intimidating man. He wouldn't share too much about himself, no matter how many times Ramsi would ask.

"Captain, we're running low on nails," one of the shipbuilders said to Ramsi.

"I'll order some more," Ramsi smiled as he left. The ship was about halfway done, and he could start visualizing it. As he turned around, a large Goron stood in front of him.

"Hello," Darbus smiled, "I'm your assistant, hired by your father."

Ramsi had a quizzical expression on your face, "You look familiar," he said, trying to place a name on Darbus' face, "you know, you look just like the Goron's patriarch."

"I hear that a lot," he shook his head, "never saw the bloke for myself, but so many people think we look the same."

"You really do," Ramsi chuckled, "alright then. What's your name?"

Darbus spoke, "Laro."

"Pleased to meet you, Laro."

* * *

"My lady, the people are signing a petition to lower the taxes," one of the clerks told Aman as she walked in. "The report's on the desk."

Aman picked up the report and skimmed through it, "the people wanted more law enforcers last week, so we got more, and now they want less taxes?" She sighed, "how many people signed this petition?"

"About thirty percent of the population."

Aman gave the clerk the report back, "tell them to get about 30 more and then we'll talk. And somebody bring me my damn tea!" She called out.

"You already fired your last assistant."

"Well find a new one!"

"I already did," she said. Behind Aman stood an elderly man, holding her tea.

She graciously took it from him, "may I know your name?" She asked.

"Auru."

* * *

**VIII**

**Ordon**

The villagers did much less work in protest of Harra. Despite their pleas to get Bo free, Harra refused to let the mayor out of his basement.

There was little to do in the small village until his father arrived to give more orders. To commend Harra. To congratulate him. To say, "you, my son, shall be the next king of Termina."

Until then, Harra had nothing to do but explore the village. Link's house had been converted to a tree house, and the fields beside it were lush. As he explored it, he saw Ilia there as well, sitting on a stump. She was picking flowers, and gently tearing off the petals off them.

"Hello," Harra said to her, "do you remember me?"

Ilia looked back at him. Immediately she turned her back on him. "I thought you were nice," she quietly muttered.

"I am nice... I did this for a reason, okay?"

Ilia stood up, with fists clenched. She looked him dead in the eyes and walked forward, "you call imprisoning my father nice?" She yelled, half sobbing, "do you think that taking my home away from me is nice? If so, then damn your niceness!"

She quietly said down on the stump, "we're a free city! We don't deal in weapons, and choose our own leader. How could you take that from us?"

"Listen, I-"

"Shut up!"

"Do you know what it's like to have your dream crushed, slipping away beneath your very fingertips, and nothing you can do to stop it?" Harra asked her.

She finally stopped yelling at him. Although she would never share it, she knew exactly what he was talking about. She and Link were supposed to have a happily ever after...

Harra stood on another tree stump close to her, "I'm the oldest child to my father. According to how we've done this for thousands of years, I was supposed to inherit the throne of Termina. I was supposed to be praised and loved by the people," he replied, "but then the king chose my little brother for the throne. The old man never did like me, to be honest."

Ilia glanced at Harra for a second, "I was a disappointment in my father's eyes. Never could do anything right. I couldn't ride a horse - hell, I can barely ride one to this day. I had trouble reading. All these letters... I could never make sense of them. They all seemed so jumbled up... sometimes I saw them backwards. I guess he banked on the thought that my little brother could do better," Harra sighed, "maybe he would make my father proud."

Ilia wanted to speak, but he continued, "for the past year I've been trying to convince my father that I do deserve the crown. I did anything I could think of. Nothing was amazing," he continued, looking up at the clouds, as if she wasn't there, "I learned how to ride a horse. Not that well, but I'm improving. Now I can read and write. But that's not enough. That's not ever enough. That's when I realized that I needed to do something to truly make him proud."

"So you took Ordon," Ilia quietly whispered.

He smiled at her, "yes. So I took Ordon. I have no interest of keeping all of you hostage. I just want my father's approval," he said as he got up, "you know what... I'm going to release the mayor. Apologize for all of this. I'm going mad."

"Wait," she called out as he stopped in his tracks, "I know what it feels like to lose something you love," Ilia said, "I'll talk to the villagers about this ordeal. Just because it's too late for my dream to come true doesn't mean that you can't reach yours. I'll talk to the villagers. They'll behave and respect you if I tell them to."

"You- you'd do that?"

"We'll talk about the full terms of our 'surrender' later on."

* * *

**X**

**Koholint**

Juste, Yul, and their youngest son, Brandon, were headed to Koholint Island. Proudly waving the Terminian flag, the ship boasted absolutely no soldiers, nor cannons. They were susceptible to pirates, or attacks of other sorts. Thankfully they remained unnoticed due to the foggy conditions.

As a young boy, Juste was taught the art of sea navigation. He had decided that he wanted to be a captain on the sea of sorts. Perhaps a naval officer. His father kindly accepted his youngest son's wishes and found trainers for him. Even now, he always did sail in replacement of the captain to keep his skills sharp. Juste's dream was not recognized in the end. In his father's last few moments, Rusl (Juste's older brother) declared that he did not want to be the king. As a result, the crown was passed on to Juste's head. Every now and then, he did think of how his life would be different if he would be commander on the high seas. For starters, he would not have met his wife. And he would not have two children. Then again, his eldest was incapable of keeping his own life in line. He did have Brandon, who showed promise.

The seas were rough that day, but he was experienced enough to keep a handle on the ship. Brandon was downstairs, reading. For some reason, the boy preferred mythology over more realistic stories. Not that there was anything wrong with it, but Juste could never understand why the young boy had such an interest in ancient mythology.

Yul was onboard with him. "Are you sure of this?" Yul asked Juste as they sailed to Koholint, "I hear rumours-"

"That's all they are. Rumours."

"King Manni is a ruthless man. He'll imprison us if he doesn't like what he's hearing. The fact that we're defenseless is terrifying, to say the least."

For a split second, Juste glanced at his wife. Her face remained stern and serious. He knew just as well as her that this was a serious matter. Would King Manni have enough honour to just listen to their request?

Juste bet his life on it. Now, he wasn't so sure. Yet he pressed on until they reached Koholint.

They docked in the port and got off. Aside from the crown on King Juste's head, they did appear to be normal people. Both Yul and Brandon often wore modest clothes that hid their wealth. As they left the ship, they looked up to see the castle looming over the island.

Even though Koholint was a small island, it was enormous in terms of population. The height of the buildings in the city far exceeded that of Clock Town and even Hyrule City. The streets were crowded. Some of the people were rich, but most were poor. No matter their differences, they all stopped and glared at Juste. The king uncomfortably kept his head down and removed his golden crown.

"Extra!" A child on the streets called out, passing out newspapers to people passing by. "King Manni building three new warships to replace the two lost in a fire!"

Juste was half-tempted to go and read the story for himself. However, he couldn't afford to stay for a moment longer than he needed to.

There was a single path up to Manni's castle, which lied on a hill overlooking the city. Peasants and nobles walked along the steps on that path. The path appeared to bend and curve sharply, based on what Juste could see.

The walk took the family about thirty minutes, but they finally made it. Since they were travelling uphill so steeply, all of their energy was sapped right out of them. Juste could now see why the stairs were made in such a manner... any attackers would have a hard time sieging the castle. Brandon often did talk about stories of how Koholint constantly switched kings. One hundred years ago, the battle for the throne was a free for all, according to him. Manni's family secured the throne and has kept it since.

Five guards covered in iron armour stood at the front, holding their swords down. "Halt," he glared at Juste, "what is your name and affiliation with the royal family?"

"Tell Manni that I am King Juste Valle of Termina, and I would like to speak with him regarding possible conditions for peace between our kingdoms."

One guard whispered something inaudible to Juste, and walked inside. After a few moments, that same guard escorted the family inside of the castle, "you are permitted inside to speak to King Manni."

The three walked inside of Manni's palace. The walls were made of marble, the most expensive stone in the known world. There were seats on either side of the throne room, but they were empty. The flooring was made out of oak wood, and the centre of the room was plated with Manni's symbol: the snake.

King Manni sat on the throne, at the other side of the room. A dozen guards surrounded him, and the sides of the room had even more. Juste walked in first, followed by the mother and her child. Manni kept a stone cold face, but Juste forced a smile.

As was customary, Juste bowed down before Manni. He got up to speak, "hello."

"May I help you?" Manni asked, resting a hand on his chin.

"I would like to discuss peace. We are not enemies, and there is no reason that we should fight," Juste announced.

Manni laughed, "if you are not enemies with Queen Zelda, then why do you fight her?" Manni's face turned more serious. Yul shifted uncomfortably.

"I... I was dragged in to the war by Seto," Juste stammered.

"It is still your battle, no?"

"Yes, but he was responsible."

Manni crossed his right leg over his left and spoke, "this is still your battle, and that is final. You are fighting a war which you probably will not win. That's why you want me as an ally." Juste said nothing, and nodded.

"We'll win!" Brandon announced. Juste gave a disapproving glare to the boy as a signal to remain quiet, but it did not work. "We already won Death Mountain. Next we'll take Ordon!"

King Manni began to laugh, "quite the son you got there, Valle." The king got up from his throne and approach the boy, "hello child. Let me tell you something. _Never_ say your next move out to an enemy."

Juste looked at Manni, "we're- we're enemies?"

"It depends on how this exchange goes," Manni smirked and walked back to his throne, "if I like what I hear, then we may be allies."

"I would like for us to be allies, and war on Hyrule Castle together," Juste said, "with the armies of Kakariko, Termina, and Koholint, Hyrule Castle cannot stand up against us."

"And without the army of Koholint, Hyrule Castle _can_ stand up against you," Manni replied, "I'd need some form of trust for this agreement."

Juste looked at his wife and son, and back at Manni, "I have a son the same age as your daughter, Aman. His name is Harra. We can have them married and have them live under your command. That's a token of how much I trust you."

Brandon stood wide-eyed at the offer. Never before had he imagined that his father would give up his own son's marriage future like that.

Manni scratched the stubble on his chin, "that sounds reasonable, yes. But are you sure you do not want to consult with your son about this first?"

"He already knows and agrees to it," Yul said.

Brandon could not believe his parents. They were prepared to give up their first son just like that? Did his mother really just lie? The boy never saw this side of his parents, and could not believe it existed until now.

"Excellent. My daughter will agree to it, I'm sure," Manni said, smiling. "I agree to ally with you. In fact, I'll send a declaration of war to Hyrule Castle right now."

Juste and his family bowed down to King Manni and got back up, promptly leaving the castle. Brandon stayed for a few more moments, lost in his thought and realization. Manni went to his private quarters to write the letter.

* * *

**XI**

**Hyrule Castle**

Zelda, Impa, and Shad were at the conference table. They really were there too often, but little could be done. The trio were there for hours on end, discussing what to do about the state of the city. Hyrule Castle may be at war, but the city still needs to be watched over.

"My queen," Zeal appeared through the doorway, holding a letter in his hands, "it's from Koholint. The king himself."

Zelda opened up the letter and read the contents out loud:

_Dear Zelda Harkinan,_

_This is the formal declaration of war against Hyrule Castle and its current ruler, Queen Zelda. Under supervision of King Manni, Hyrule Castle and all of its allies/colonies are now susceptible to attack from Koholint. The island kingdom of Koholint is now allied with Kakariko, led by King Seto, and Termina, led by King Juste._

_From Manni Rodra, the rightful king of Koholint_

"Between Hyrule Castle and Zora's Domain, we have about one hundred and ten thousand soldiers. They have about the same between Kakariko, Koholint, and Termina," said Shad.

"What about civil enforcements?" Impa asked.

"That is including civil enforcements..."

Zelda rose up. "The entire kingdom that my father ruled now stands against me. _My rightful kingdom_. Nobody can take that from me, because I am the trueborn to this castle," Zelda announced, leaving the room quiet, "my name is Zelda Harkinan, and I will now show no mercy to my enemies."

The other three cheered as Zelda continued, "we shall win this war! The Goddesses themselves shall be the witness as we deliver true justice!"

* * *

**XII**

**Ordon**

Ilia had called for a meeting of the villagers that day. Everybody showed up, and to Ilia's far right was Harra, who watched from a distance.

"What's this about?" Mayor Bo asked, who had just been released.

Ilia cleared her throat, "I'd like to say something. Prince Harra has offered us a compromise. He's willing to allow us to govern the village in our own secrecy, but we shall swear to remain loyal to Termina."

"Why can't he say that himself?" Jaggle asked. Shouts of agreement followed.

Harra stepped on the stage, "look," he said, waiting for everybody to quiet down, "I promise all of you that I will allow all of you to govern yourselves. You'll all be allowed freedom. Nothing will change, except the future king."

"How can we trust you?" Hanch asked.

"I promise you that I will be fair and kind to all of you... look," Harra sighed, "I just want to impress my father, the king of Termina. I don't want to rule over all of you with an iron fist, but I just want to tell him that I've conquered this village. I'm sure many of the children here can relate to me when I say that a parent's word means the world."

"He's right," Ilia said.

Mayor - former mayor- Bo walked up, hesitant, "as long as you're kind, I shall have no problem with you as our leader."

"If he's okay with it, so am I," Jaggle added.

"I'm okay with it," Talo said.

"We're loyal to the queen!" Beth retorted. The entire village became quiet. "Have _all_ of you forgotten that? She's treated us well, and we swore an oath to her!"

Hanch came up to his daughter to pat her on her shoulder, "we need safety. If the prince gives that, then we'll follow him. Otherwise he'll kill me. He'll kill all of us."

"I'd never kill any of you," Harra honestly announced.

"You said that you would kill Bo if we didn't follow you!" Beth replied.

"That's a bluff. I swear on the Goddesses that I will never command a man to kill any of you."

One by one, all of the villagers gave their approval. Harra's spirits rose as he looked to see the comments of approval. He scanned through the crowd, and Ilia was there, smiling at him. He mouthed the words 'thank you' to her, smiling back.

* * *

**XIII**

**Kakariko**

True to his word, Bruno did show up after sunset. The young man showed up in his armour, with a key in his left hand. He lifted his helmet for a moment to say hello to Link, and opened up the cell doors.

The two ran up through the castle deserted castle, and out of the gates. The streets unusually crowded, with shouts and screams all around. As he ran, Link looked left. One of the houses were on fire, and people were surrounding it, watching the house engulfed in fire.

"That's my home," Bruno smiled, "thought we might need a distraction. Listen, I'm going to need a new home..."

"If I get to Hyrule Castle safely, believe me when I say that Queen Zelda will give you anything you wish for," Link said as he searched through the public stables for Epona. Link's horse still remained there, strangely fed well. He saddled on it and Bruno took his own.

The two rode off to the fields outside of Kakariko. Link expected guards outside of the city walls, but nobody was there. Looking behind him, the fire appeared ever so slightly larger.

"My dream is to have my own home, free from all of this violence. Somewhere nice, like Faron. Where it's just me. And a family one day. But to do that, I'm going to need wealth," Bruno said, "think Zelda can help me?"

"Perhaps," Link stated. He couldn't make any promises.

* * *

**END CHAPTER**

**Words: 6,826**

* * *

Author's Notes:

Hope you enjoyed the chapter!

As usual, reviews are always appreciated.

This chapter may seem fairly confusing, but that's because there are so many characters in so many places. After everything is sorted out, these are the settings of the story:

-Sand Port  
-Koholint  
-Hyrule Castle  
-Kakariko  
-Termina  
-Ordon


	5. A Bouquet of Flowers

Author's Notes:

Looking back at my older chapters, I really didn't like the flow of the story. I wanted to focus on two things: plot and characters. As the plot advances, characters may leave/enter the story. When they leave, I do want the audience to actually care about the character. To feel the repercussions of his/her death. With the pace that this story is going, there are far too many characters, and not enough time to feel for any of them. I did not like this. As a result, I'm slowing down the pace of the story.

Also, the plot is moving far too fast. Every chapter, too many things happen, yet the word count isn't too high. The solution? Slow the pace down. I'll be describing scenes much more. Especially action scenes, like the one you'd read in a few moments.

* * *

**CHAPTER 5**

**A Bouquet of Flowers**

* * *

**I**

**Hyrule City **

Darkness enveloped the night sky. Today few people were outside, but the city shined like a beacon many miles away. A brilliant light, and despite the poverty and crimes, Hyrule City truly did deserve to be the jewel of Hyrule. The most important city, from both a historical and economic standpoint.

Link wasn't overweight before he was imprisoned, but the week had significantly shrank him down. He did appear far more pale, but that was probably from the lack of food.

The gates of Hyrule Castle were guarded. Of course, Link and Bruno got admission to the city. The people guarding it were overjoyed to see Link safe, and one even offered to escort the pair to Hyrule Castle. Link kindly refused his offer.

A single drop of water hit Link's head. Then another one. The small drizzle became heavier. Thunder was heard in the distance, and the rain poured heavily. People began to take out their umbrellas and lowered their heads. Nobody seemed to pay any attention to Link after that. The duo travelled through the streets and alleyways as they made their final leg of the trip to Hyrule Castle. On Main Street, the streets started to empty as people left to their homes. The city never truly was safe at night.

_Thump_. A kick was delivered to Link's back as the hero stumbled on the ground. His head hit the wet ground as he tried standing up. The man kicked Link again, this time in the side. Another man wrapped his arm on Bruno's neck, attempting to choke him. Bruno struggled for air, gripping the man's arms. The man did not let go despite Bruno's flailing.

Link lifted his head. _Thump_. One of the attackers kicked him in the face, spiraling him to the ground. Mustering up all of his strength, Link got up before the man could force him down again.

Link's attacker was wearing commoner's clothes and a black mask to combo with it. He wasn't much more than a peasant attempting to rob the duo out of their money. His partner held on to Bruno with one arm, and searched through his pockets with the other.

His vision blurred as the man punched him in the face. Blood seeped from Link's nose, and his blood mixed with the puddle of rainwater forming on the ground under his feet. Aside from his own grunts of pain and the sound of Bruno choking, the only audible sound was the rain hitting the cold ground.

Bruno twirled, forcing the commoner's feet off the ground. He took advantage of this by knocking both of them to the ground. This forced the man to release his grip on Bruno, and the two wrestled on the stone pavement. Eventually the man pinned Bruno to the ground. One hand held on Bruno's chest and the other hand smacked the soldier in the face.

If Link was at full strength, he easily could have taken this rogue on. Fighting is a form, and these men have not perfected it. Their swings and kicks lack proper grace, and that could be taken advantage of. But Link wasn't at full strength. Between the week imprisoned and the long journey through Hyrule, Link had no energy to fight. He just wanted to lay down and sleep... but he couldn't. No doubt he would be killed and robbed right here. If he was lucky, somebody would find his body in time and bury him. Otherwise, the guards would just burn it.

The first thing Link noticed as he focused on the man in front of him were the blue eyes. Just like Link's. A flash of blinding light took place a few miles away from them, followed by thunder.

The man swung at Link's stomach, but missed as Link backed away. The hero wiped off some of the blood off of his nose with his sleeve. He brought up his arms, ready to fight. The man swung first, attempting to hit Link's face with a left hook. Link grabbed the man's arm and twisted it, causing the man to scream in pain. The man desperately kicked at Link. Eventually the man did hit Link's stomach, causing Link to stumble back, but not falling. The assaulter shook his arm to regain feeling in it.

Bruno took several more beatings from his attacker. Eventually he returned them with his own punch, straight at the man's jaw. The man staggered backwards and off of Bruno. The knight took this as an opportunity to get up. His attacker was on the ground, clenching his hand to his jaw. Eventually he stopped and glared at Bruno, with rage-filled eyes. With one scream, he charged at Bruno, knocking them both against the wall of a local apartment.

Bruno kneed the man in the stomach, but that did little as the man smashed Bruno's head against the stone wall. Eventually Bruno started to lose feeling. His eyes instinctively wanted to close, as much as Bruno resisted. He blinked more and more often... his head throbbed... the man screamed profanities at him. Then, the man punched Bruno right in the face.

Link and the man continued to fight. Punches were thrown, and Link was forced back against the doorstep of a café. Link attempted to open up the door.

Locked.

The man pulled out a knife and grinned. With a scream of profanity, he charged. Link rolled out of the way at the last second, knocking the man's head against the door. His hand reached for the knife, and the two began to battle for possession of it, all the while not getting stabbed. Link gave up and kicked the man against the door, followed by another kick to a knee. The man fell. He closed his eyes and let go of the knife. Link reached for the knife. With a determined expression, he thrust it in to the man's knee to immobilize him. The man yelled out in pain as blood seeped from the wound, staining his pants.

The other man punched Bruno in the face again, and Bruno attempted to free himself. Eventually Bruno's eyes felt too heavy for him to carry, and he looked one last time at his attacker. The man pulled out his own knife and raised it to Bruno's neck, with a sneer. A look of shock appeared from the man. His mouth gaped as he fell down. A knife was stuck in his back, and in front of him stood Impa and several Hylian guards.

That was the last thing Bruno saw before he blacked out.

"Impa?" Link asked as he got up, "how? How did you get here?"

The guards carried both men and Bruno away. Rain splashed everywhere, and Link's attire had been fully soaked.

Impa frowned at him, "Link, you know the streets aren't safe at night."

The two of them followed closely behind the guards as they made their trek to Hyrule Castle. "But how did you get here? How did you know where we were?" Link asked.

"Rumours spread like wildfire here, Link," Impa reminded him, "I heard that you were here, and I decided to find you and safely escort you to Hyrule Castle myself. I'm sorry that I came so late."

Link stammered, "it- it's not your fault. It's mine. I really should have just-"

Impa shrugged. For somebody as accomplished as Link, he truly was humble. Men treat themselves as gods after doing half the things that Link has done. Nobody else could say that they've saved Hyrule _and_ won the heart of Princess Zelda, now the queen. "It's my fault. We're leaving it at that."

Impa didn't want to make it awkward between the two of them. Link knew it was his fault, and wanted to accept responsibility. It wasn't exactly Impa's fault, but it was her duty to keep the royals safe. While Link wasn't quite a royal, most people did treat him as one. Strangely enough, he still shopped for his own fruits. He chose his own clothes in markets. Royalty had not changed his life at all.

She was only glad that she could make it in time. She had a dozen questions for Link, but it would be improper to ask him while they walked. No doubt Zelda would embrace him about it. To cry in relief and have him explain his struggles. Who was the other man, however? The Sheikah could not seem to recognize him, but he appeared to be a close friend of Link's. That was also a question she could not ask. All she knew was that she needed to protect him.

Duty. Honour. Those were the two words that Impa swore to uphold with her life. Her honour came from doing her duty to the best of her ability. Her duty was to protect Queen Zelda with her life.

The gates to Hyrule Castle opened up as they entered the courtyard. Up many flights of stairs, Zelda was waiting.

* * *

Queen Zelda heard the call. To be more precise, she did _not_ hear the call, but felt it. A gentle tugging in the back of her head. She laid in her bed, thinking of ignoring it. Eventually the call became stronger and stronger, and she gave in. Putting on a coat, she got up from her bed, still partly asleep. No sound was heard, aside from the _pit-pat_ of the rainfall against the castle roof.

The sense was calling for her. It allured her to the point that she could no longer ignore it. She stepped to the ladder in the hallway, prepared to go outside to the roof.

She covered her head as she stepped to the rainfall. It was heavy against her cloak. Hyrule City was just about empty in the darkness, but she could not make a proper judgement; the rain impaired her vision.

The instinctive call stopped as the Great Fairy appeared before her. As always, she wore a cloth around her hips, and her hair covered her bare chest. Yet not a single drop of water landed on her, for some odd reason.

It was a known fact that Zelda had the ability to practice magic. An ability she did not practice nearly enough. She _could_ do basic things like teleport a few feet, but that was it. The Great Fairy was the best known in the kingdom when it came to magic. To her, keeping herself dry in such a manner must have been a child's game. Zelda would never know. And the fairy never visited enough to teach her.

"He's coming," the fairy said to Zelda.

"Who?" Zelda raised an eyebrow.

"You already know the answer to that."

Seto? Manni? Juste? Was she about to be attacked? Zelda contemplated to immediately set up defences around Hyrule City, but decided to stay for the chat. Perhaps she was worrying too much.

"I have three things to tell you," the Great Fairy explained, "that was the first thing. The second is that the west shall close upon itself. Lastly, love kills people."

Zelda frowned, "Can you just tell me what's going to happen? Should I be worried?"

The Great Fairy was always elusive. Never gave away answers. Nobody knows quite how old she was (there were myths that she descended directly from the Goddesses), but many years must have made her wise. "If I told you, then that would be no fun, now would it?"

Zelda gave what appeared as a scoff, "this isn't a game."

"I live forever," the Great Fairy said, "I really don't care what happens to you, per se. I just want to make this interesting for myself. The hints I gave today were pretty strong. You're the second smartest person in the known world. You can figure out this, surely?"

Zelda raised an eyebrow, "Who's the first?"

"Unimportant right now. Some commoner in Termina. He's the son to a blacksmith. Dreams of flying one day," the fairy smiled, "that's why I am so interested by all of you. All of your hopes and dreams... it really stems down from the fact that you're a mortal, isn't it? Limited time on Earth..."

"I chose not to be a sage," Zelda retorted, "that was my choice. I wanted to inherit my father's kingdoms."

"Your choice," the fairy smiled, "can't say you won't regret it, however."

The queen scoffed again, "can you just tell me what to do? To my understanding, you _do _like me a hell of a lot better than the other kings, do you not?"

"But that ruins the fun," the Great Fairy repeated. She then vanished in the night. Zelda sighed and went back down in to her bedroom.

_What is that old bat talking about? _Zelda thought to herself. _This isn't a game!_

Every single week the Great Fairy visited her after they won against the Twilight Realm. The two have become ... close, Zelda supposed. It was an awkward relationship. Sometimes the queen wondered if the Great Fairy was just trying to mess her up from a mental standpoint.

"Queen Zelda!" Impa rushed in the room, "Link returned!"

"Link?" Zelda gasped as they rushed to the main hall.

In front of them stood three Hylian guards. To their lefts were three men that Zelda did not know. Beside them stood Link, with blood stains still slightly visible from his nose and his clothes fully drenched.

Not a word was said, but Link's eyes told Zelda the whole story. Link stood up and they hugged. Relief. Zelda sobbed, apologizing to Link for what he'd been through. He quieted her with a kiss.

Impa couldn't help but smile in relief, and had the three men tended to. No doubt the man she stabbed in the back was dead, but the other two would undoubtedly survive. Then she could sort out who goes in prison and who doesn't.

* * *

**II**

**Ordon**

Surprisingly enough, Juste did appear in Ordon himself. Little had changed in the village since Termina had annexed it. The Terminian boat docked in Ordon, with Juste, Brandon, and Yul. Nobody really took notice in the heat of the day, since they had work to do. Harra did excitedly wait for Juste to congratulate his son, but showed maturity in his posture. He gestured for his family to his own home in the village, Link's old tree house.

The ladder was removed and replaced by stairs. Little was there except for Harra's clothing and a bed, but it was enough. A table was placed in the centre of the home, and everybody took their own seats. Lunch was being served by Harra's men.

Juste constantly darted his eyes between Yul and Harra, but did not say anything. He wolfed down on his meal, and occasionally smiled at Brandon.

"So," Harra broke the silence, "I've taken Ordon for you."

"I can see that," Juste replied, "it's a start. Then again... it's not hard to take over a village that can't arm itself."

That comment crushed Harra on the inside. This _was_ a victory. Something that should be noteworthy. Ordon was a major source of food to Hyrule City, so it was a great victory to take the village. No matter what Harra did, it was never enough.

"I was in charge of one ship and did this. _One ship_. _And_ I did it without a single casualty! I took the village with words."

"Women talk. So do children," Juste frowned, "men fight. If you can convince somebody of something, then so can I. So can Brandon. So can the village fool."

Harra scoffed, "so I exceeded your expectations and I don't get gratitude?"

Yul snapped at Harra, "singers receive gratitude. So do magicians. You are a Valle, and have blood of the royal family of Termina flowing through your veins. _You do not need gratitude. _You need to take comfort in the fact that you've done your duty. The second a man says 'good job' to you, you stop improving yourself. Do you understand?"

"But I-" Harra stammered.

"Do you understand? Your mother is completely right." Juste dropped his fork and stood up. "That's not why we're here," he said, "you are to be married in the forthcoming weeks to King Manni's niece, Aman."

"I don't want to be married..."

"This is for the good of Termina. Manni has agreed that you shall be the King of Koholont after he departs."

"I-"

"This discussion is over," Juste announced, "remember who you serve."

"The king." Harra looked his father in the eyes. Mutual hatred for the other partner.

Justes stormed out of the household, followed closely by Yul. Brandon smiled and waved at Harra. The older brother waved back, but there was no smile on his face.

Frustrated, Harra took a walk in the village after Juste's boat departed for Termina. The boy sighed, and sat down beside the river. The main sounds were that of goats and children laughing. He took off his shoes and placed his feet in the river. Small fish swam around him feet. One was orange, another was yellow...

"Hey," Ilia called out, taking a seat beside him, "how'd it go?"

"Not that great," Harra grimaced, "he began to berate me for taking the village using words, instead of power."

"He did what?"

"The King of Termina wanted some of you to die in order to teach the survivors not to fool around."

"And what did you say?" Ilia asked. Harra dug his face in the palms of his hands.

"I couldn't say anything. I didn't want to respond to such a monstrous suggestion. Then he told me that I'm also going to be married to King Manni's niece."

Ilia's face grew darker, "do you want to be married to her?"

"I don't have a choice."

Just then, Ilia silently got up and walked away, rubbing her eyes. Harra didn't really take notice, and he remained stationary, watching the fish. He didn't want to be married to whoever she was, but wanted to choose his own partner. His father would not approve of him unless he did this. But if he did do as his father commanded, he could not be King of Termina...

_Decisions, decisions._

* * *

**III**

**Sand Port**

Three ships like none other were built before Darbus' eyes. _Hurricane_ was by far the largest. Ramsi had a look of pride in his eyes as the first was completed, and the second could be built. Often Darbus would see Ramsi sneak out in the middle of the night to just stare at _Hurricane,_ floating peacefully in the water. He would just stare for minutes.

Today was Darbus' day off from tending to Ramsi's needs, so he took the opportunity to get a good feel of the city. He walked along the city square, looking for something to do. There was a jewelry shop, perhaps...

"Thief!" A man, undoubtedly a merchant, cried out. The crowd in the city square backed off to either side as the thief flashed his sword around. In his other hand was a bag of small diamonds that must have cost a fortune. The merchant gave chase to the thief, despite the threat of the man's sword.

Darbus decided that he might as well help out. He stood at the edge, of the crowd, waiting for the thief to pass. The merchant was a rather short Goron in his middle age. Right before the thief passed by Darbus, the patriarch slammed the thief to the ground.

The thief groaned, attempting to move, but he could not. The full weight of Darbus must have crushed several bones in the thief's body. In a desperate last resort, the thief tried to reach for his sword, but Darbus took it before the thief could. With the other hand, Darbus took the bag of diamonds and got up. The thief did not move. Soon enough, civil enforcements arrived and carried the man away.

The merchant finally caught up to the scene, panting as he did so. "Thank you," he said to Darbus, "thank you so much!"

"It's nothing," Darbus sheepishly grinned.

The merchant raised an eyebrow, "your accent... are you from the west?" Darbus simply nodded, and the merchant smiled, "thank you so much! You see, we Gorons need to stick together, whether we're eastern or western!"

The crowd began to disperse to the other streets, having lost interest. "I agree, brother!"

"Anyways, me and my friends are meeting up in the café across the street for some wine in a few hours. I'd be honoured if you show up."

"Sure," Darbus smiled, "say... is anybody watching your cart?"

A jolt of realization went through the man. He quickly took the bag of diamonds from Darbus and rushed off to his cart. Now Darbus was left with the sword... he might as well take it with him. Add it to his secret collection of swords, right next to the one he took from King Bulbin.

* * *

Unlike many of the other workplaces in Sand Port, the city hall did not close down. Everybody still showed up, and busy working. Aman's office was a large, oak rectangle with a single desk in the centre of it. Bookshelves lined up against two of the walls, and served as little more than decoration. One wall had a gorgeous view of the sea, and the last wall had the door to her office.

Aman received one single letter from her uncle, Manni. That letter contained two things:

The first part was his declaration of war against Queen Zelda. There were no surprises in that part. Manni warned her to keep a guard on events happening to the east.

The second part did come off as a surprise. Without any warning or her approval, Manni told her that she was informally engaged to a man she had never met. While she was not particularly happy about the engagement, she did fully serve her uncle with the hopes that she'll inherit his kingdoms. The price for power was steep, but she was prepared to give anything for it.

As was important for security details, Aman placed the letter over a candle in her office. Information like this could be easily abused, and it cannot go in the wrong hands. Queen Zelda was never particularly known for having spies, but Manni's declaration of war may have changed her mind.

Her engagement... was just another stressful event in her life. The war would undoubtedly affect her first, faster than Koholint, Ordon, or Termina. An army could march on the port any second, and she needed to prepare for it. That meant she needed city watch, more civil enforcement, and an escape plan for the potential of a loss. On top of that, her brother would undoubtedly meddle in her plans in an attempt to make her look bad in front of Manni.

"I need a tea!" She called out, and Auru brought in tea, just the way she wanted it. He respectfully bowed, took a quick glance at her office, and turned around to leave. "Stop," she commanded, "sit down."

Auru quietly sat down on the seat facing her. She smiled at him, "your name is Auru?" Aman asked, and the man gave a nod, "so tell me Auru... where are you from?"

"Koholint," he lied.

She raised an eyebrow, not buying it. "Oh? I seem to have forgotten the symbol of Koholint. May you remind me?"

"The snake," Auru replied.

"And the official words of Koholint?" She asked. No reply from him. Aman arched her back forward, "let me ask this again. Where are you from?" Oblivious to Auru, she began to feel for her knife that was hidden under her desk. All the while glaring at him.

"I descended from the people of the desert. My home was at Kakariko," he said, "the symbol there is the crow, and the words are 'from this day, to the end of all days'."

Aman smiled, flipping her golden hair to the back of her head, "if I were to ask Seto of who you are, would he know?" She asked. "Actually, never mind. I don't have time for this. You are excused," she said, going back to her paperwork.

Auru gratefully got up and bowed once again. The old man promptly left her to her own work. Outside, he breathed a sigh of relief. He truly did need to be more careful. She was suspicious of him, and this only added to her view on him. No doubt one of Zelda's messengers would want to see him soon for information. He didn't know much, so that'll be a disappointment.

He smiled at the lady working at the front desk, although she did not seem to notice.

Aman could not focus on her paperwork in front of her. The fact that he was just hired out of the blue by itself was suspicious, and he also tried to lie to her. _He might be a spy, but could I kill him for my own safety? _She thought to herself. Lives _are _expendable, and she can just get a new helper.

She made a mental note to secretly kill Auru the next time the two were alone.

* * *

**IV**

**Termina**

The food was nice. Termina was always known for its exceptionally warm climate. While Juste was gone, he was the acting king. He should have been happy, but he wasn't. This wasn't his home. It never was and never will be.

Since Juste had left, Rusl had never had any alone time. The demands for a king were huge, and he often did go to sleep without any energy left.

Right now was his break. He sat down in the privacy of his own room with Uli beside him. They both had their cups of tea in the noon, at a time and place where nobody could disturb them.

"I've always wondered this," Uli smiled at him, "why did you not want to be king?"

"Well, if you wanted to marry a king then-"

She laughed, "I didn't want to marry a king. I wanted to marry you. You could be a king, a soldier, or a juggler for all I care. I wanted you."

Rusl raised an eyebrow, "then why ask?"

"I just want to know why you chose not to be the king. You _were_ the rightful heir and everything..."

"I... don't know. You see how I've been all day. Running around, getting work done. I like the quiet of Ordon better than the hustle here," Rusl answered. He took another sip of coffee.

She nodded, understanding what he meant, "so, if you do prefer Hyrule better than Termina, then why are we here?" she asked, lowering her voice to a whisper.

"This is still my rightful home. Juste is a kind king to us and we've been brought here to serve."

"But why are we serving Termina instead of Hyrule, if the latter our home?"

"I..." Rusl was at a loss for words, "I don't know."

He quietly got up and walked to the door. Uli thought that she upset him in some way, but instead, he closed it and opened up the windows. A single ship was docking outside, and it was undoubtedly Juste's ship. He gestured for her to follow him downstairs, and she quietly obeyed.

Many servants came to help Juste unpack, but he waved them all of. Yul gratefully gave them her bags to be put away. At the foot of the castle, Rusl and Uli patiently awaited to receive the king and queen. They embraced, and sat down. Colin appeared from the stairs to greet Brandon. Strangely enough, Harra wasn't there beside him.

Around the table, the adults were laughing and Juste told stories of his adventures. Brandon and Colin were told to watch over Colin's little sister, Melina. She was going to turn two in the weeks ahead, and could say a few words.

"Did anything happen?" Colin asked Brandon as they walked outside in to the warm afternoon breeze. Unbelievably, it had been three weeks since winter had started and still no snow.

Brandon nodded, "dad got Harra married. For now, he's staying at Ordon, but he's going to be moving east soon."

"Really?" Colin gaped. Brandon nodded, "Harra's so young, though!"

"He's twenty-two," Brandon replied, "not _that_ young."

"But still..." Colin quietly muttered, thinking of the right combination of words. Melina started to kick around in Colin's arms so he set her down on the bench outside of the courtyard.

The courtyard was on the other side of the castle, away from the ocean. It was largely made of stone, and progressively elevated as one approached the castle. With each step along the main stairs leading to the castle, gardens appeared on either side.

"I know what you mean," Brandon said, "this wasn't Harra's choice. Dad told him to do it, and he didn't seem happy about it. Do - do you think he'll do that to me as well?"

"No... no," Colin finally answered, "he won't. You're going to inherit this castle, so he won't decide that for you."

"I hope not. Harra started yelling at dad for that."

* * *

"We've secured an alliance with Koholint," Juste smiled, "and captured Ordon."

Rusl and Uli glanced at each other, which was exactly the reaction Juste had expected. They did not appear nervous of anything, but they were not particularly happy as well. "There was no bloodshed," Yul added, "nobody had died."

"That's good," Rusl smiled, "I'm proud of Harra."

"Don't be." Juste frowned at Rusl, shaking his head, "the boy disobeyed me. I've half the mind to label him a traitor to our cause and take his head." Uli gasped and demanded an explanation for the thought. "He's to be married to King Manni's niece and tried refusing me."

"That's no reason to kill your son, you monster!" Uli blurted out. She immediately quieted in regret.

"Say any more and I shall have your head as well," Juste said.

Rusl drew out his sword at Juste, "nobody threatens my wife!"

Juste remained unmoved, and called out for guards. Instantly four guards surrounded Rusl, grabbing his arms and taking his sword.

"I'm not going to kill you," Juste smirked, "just like I wouldn't kill Harra. If I did kill him, then we don't have peace with Manni. It was little more than an exaggeration," he said, standing up. "But thank you for showing me that you cannot carry a sword in the castle."

Juste gestured for the guards to take Rusl's sword, and one forcefully took it from his hand. That guard left to put it away, probably in the royal treasury. Rusl glared at Juste, "am I your prisoner, or your ally?"

"My ally," Juste immediately responded, "and my subject. In case you've forgotten, I'm _your_ king. I need you here to help me watch over Termina, but I can't have you threaten me, now can I?"

"We humbly apologize, your highness," Uli said. Juste smirked, and ordered the guards to leave. Panting, Rusl stood back down.

"I've business to attend to in Clock Town," the king got up and left. With one final glare, Yul also left with him.

Just then, Colin came back with Melina in his arms. Behind him was Brandon. "Did anything happen?" Colin asked his parents.

"No," Rusl immediately answered, "now tell the cooks to make us some food."

* * *

**V**

**Sand Port**

Being the inconsiderate jerk that he is, Ramsi decided to build the ships right next to the city hall, where Aman lived. She was busy filing out paperwork concerning taxes. Many people asked for lower taxes for whatever reason. If the title of the letter seemed interesting, Aman skimmed through it. Otherwise, it was thrown in the garbage, where it belonged.

An annoyingly common bell rang outside of her room. She sighed, and gave the permission for whoever was knocking to come in. Aman expected Auru. Or perhaps Theresa, the office clerk. Instead she saw a man with black hair and hazel eyes. He was about the same age as her, and stood tall.

"May I help you?" she asked him, giving an uncomfortable glare.

"My name is Harra Valle, the prince of Termina," he said.

"And why are you here?" Aman raised an eyebrow.

"Because we're to be-"

"So what if we're engaged?" she snapped at him, "that doesn't mean you need to be here."

"But-"

"I'm busy," she sighed, "and don't have the time, nor interest, to see you right now." Harra was at a loss for words. "Did you really expect me to jump in joy upon seeing you?" she smirked, "you're no knight in shining armour. Oh, and if you think that I'm going to follow you around like a sheep to a shepherd when we marry, then you've a surprise ahead."

"I don't expect any of that," Harra retorted, "I wanted to see who I'm engaged with. Whether I'll be happy with you, and my father did right by finding me a wife."

"Your father didn't do you right. He did himself right." Aman replied. Harra remained quiet, glaring at her. "You know it's true. This is for him, and him only."

"You're right, but... life is a game. A game of cards. You're given a hand, and you have to play with the cards you're given. Make the most out of them. Otherwise you lose," Harra said.

"Life is _not _a game. Games are fair. In life, you can be killed before you even receive your cards."

"I can see that. Thank you for this _enriching _experience," Harra said as he stormed out of the room. Unbeknownst to him, Auru had been outside of Aman's office the entire time, listening to their conversation. In his fit, the prince clearly did not recognize Auru. He didn't even notice the elder. However, Auru still remembered the prince's face back when he was a child.

In the matter of minutes, a messenger would be arriving from Hyrule Castle to receive whatever information Auru has found. This entire endeavor shall certainly suffice.

* * *

The next morning, Aman found herself doing something she thought she would never do: buying flowers. She decided that she _was _too harsh on the prince. Hopefully she can skip the sappy 'I'm sorry' with a bouquet of flowers. Although she had no idea whether Harra actually liked flowers or not, she was certain, since he didn't seem too manly in their first encounter.

She forced a smile as she bought the bouquet from the flower shop. Most vegetation was ridiculously expensive here, since it needs to be imported all the way from Ordon. Although she could afford it, it pained her how much money she wasted.

As much as it pained her to admit it, he was quite handsome. Typically, curly black hair looked awkward on most men, but it fit him quite well. What must kill his eligibility to most women he meets are his social skills, she thought to himself. Just looking at Harra's skin tone, one can easily figure out that the boy's never spent a day outside. Harra's skin was so pale that it was almost comical.

She eventually did find him, eating breakfast at a local tavern. He was sitting next to a window, and an empty seat across from him. She took a deep breath and took the seat next to him. Seeing her again was quite a surprise for Harra.

"Hello," she said, smiling at him. She lowered the bouquet out of his sight, and rested her head on her left hand.

"May I help you?" Harra asked, glaring at her, "thought you'd not want to see me again for a while."

A waitress came around to ask Aman what she wanted to eat, which Aman promptly refused. Throughout his meal, Harra did not once look up at her.

"I wanted to apologize," she finally said, "for my somewhat rude behaviour. It wasn't right for me to say all of that."

"Somewhat rude behaviour?" Harra spat out. "that was uncalled for. Nevertheless, I accept your apologies."

"Why?" she eyed Harra suspiciously.

Harra shrugged, "because you apologized. That's something that nobody does."

"People will apologize to you. They will kiss your shoes if you ask them to," she whispered, "but there's a secret way of doing it. You see, you have to convince people that they'll be sorry for doing wrong to you."

The prince laughed, "is that why you're here? To kiss my shoes?"

"Keep dreaming. I came to apologize... and I brought you this," she held out the flowers.

"I hate flowers," Harra retorted.

"So do I," Aman said, "but it's the thought that matters."

"Well... thank you for your thoughts, I suppose. What I _could _use is you to pay the bill. I've left my wallet at home."

"Do you accept my apologies?"

"Will you pay for my meal?"

"Yes."

"Then I accept your apology."

* * *

**VI**

**Hyrule Castle**

After a full day's rest, Link was prepared to get back to work. He took his place at the table, and memories flowed back to him. Most of them were boring, sitting here... listening to old men drone on for hours about crimes or poverty.

Nobody knew poverty better than Link Ordana. In truth, he had no last name because he had no parents. He was too young to remember any of it, but Link was told that the two left him at a very young age. "They couldn't take care of you," Mayor Bo once said when Link asked why his parents left him. There he was, a helpless infant, stuck in the woods. Two horses were going through the area on an errand. One was of a young white stallion, and riding upon him was the teenage Rusl. Beside him was his mentor, Mayor Bo. According to Rusl, Bo actually did have hair at this time, and it was pretty amusing to imagine the mayor with a head of hair.

Rusl called out for Bo. In front of him sat an infant, perched on a small rock. Mayor Bo took the baby in his arms, cradling him as if the infant was his own. On the rock also had a piece of paper. Picking it up, Bo read the contents. A single word was clearly scribbled on the letter, and nothing more: _LINK_.

Link Ordana. A bastard's name, for the child without a name for himself. That week, Mayor Bo had to escort his wife to Hyrule City, where she would give birth to their firstborn. In that timespan, Rusl was left to look over the boy.

"Link?" A voice called out.

"Link, wake up!" Zelda voice echoed.

"Ladies and gentlemen, I present to you: the Hero of Light," another jokingly said, and everybody chuckled.

Link lifted his head, having dozed off. He looked around, trying to reawake his senses. Zelda, Impa, and Shad were all smiling at him. Zeal stood in the background, motionless.

"Are you awake?" Impa asked. Link silently nodded.

"On to business," Shad said, "we've received word from both Darbus and Auru. Darbus found work as a shipbuilder. Apparently two warships have burned down in a fire in Koholint, and they're building three new ones in Sand Port. The first one has already been built, but the master is planning on commissioning all three at the same time."

"It's times like these that I wish that Hyrule Castle wasn't landlocked," Zeal scoffed, "if we had a navy, we could wipe out Koholint before dusk."

"It's times like these that I wish that we were against the sea," Zelda added, "maybe then we don't have to defend ourselves from the west, east, and south."

"South?" Link raised an eyebrow.

"They took Ordon," Shad said. The scholar watched fear develop in Link's eyes. "They didn't use violence. Nobody was killed, according to our spy."

Link breathed a sigh of relief, yet betrayal. Ilia, Bo, Rusl... his friends - his family were all traitors to their cause.

"Auru found work in Sand Port's city hall. Apparently King Juste struck a deal with King Manni. Juste's son will marry Manni's niece to secure their alliance."

"Interesting," Zelda said out loud. "That _might_ be used to our advantage. What we could do is this: we send one of our armies under the Terminian flag to Sand Port. We'll find Manni's niece, kill her, making Manni think that Juste betrayed him."

"What about when they come back? Some of the people in Sand Port will get suspicious that the army will be retreating to Hyrule Castle." Link suggested..

Zelda sighed, "sometimes... sometimes we have to make sacrifices. They won't be coming back. We'll probably send them on a suicide mission to Koholint after they take Sand Port."

Zeal shook his head, "Manni will capture at least one of the soldiers. That soldier will be interrogated, and reveal that he's actually a Hylian soldier sent to trick Manni in to warring against Juste."

"We can hire the _Tojo_," Shad suggested.

The _Tojo _were a secretive group of elite warriors who lived in the Ocean Sanctuary, right beside Papuchia. Papuchia was an island southeast of Hyrule, and most people did not know of it. The Ocean Sanctuary was an even smaller island next to Papuchia, and housed the seven _Tojo_. The _Tojo_ always got the job done, or else they committed suicide in shame, after realizing that they cannot complete their task. This was also to prevent anybody from questioning a _Tojo_ against his will. However, to keep the sanctuary running, they charged ridiculously high prices, to the point that few actually wanted to know of their services.

"They'll get the job done, and there's no risk for us," Shad added. "We'll just dress them up in Terminian attire to make it look authentic."

"I think that's reasonable," Zelda said. "Let it be so. Find somebody that can travel to Papuchia, and hire their services, no matter the cost."

"I'll go," Link announced.

"No, you won't." Zelda smiled, "you've already been captured once, and I'm not thinking that you'll escape again."

"I was rusty," Link sheepishly grinned, "now I'm back in the game. Please, my queen, let me go."

Zelda sighed. "Fine."

* * *

**END CHAPTER**

**Words: 7,717**

* * *

Author's Notes:

I think this chapter came out pretty well. I actually intended for this chapter to include a whole new subsection of the story, but the fact that I've stretched out this so far means that I can leave that for the next few chapters.

Yes, I guess I did make Zelda seem kind of cruel in this chapter. However, that's what power does to a person, and that's the theme I've been trying to create. Zelda will do whatever she can to keep her inheritance (and her life), with the thought that it'll all be for the good of the kingdom. All four of the kings and queen act pretty hideously at times in this story. Seto often does act overdramatic about most issues, and treats life like nothing, no matter who the person is. Zelda will do whatever it takes to keep her power, even if it means that others have to suffer. Manni likes to play mind games with people, before he damages them. Juste is probably the most honourable in my mind. He believes in justice, and loyally served the crown until he was dragged on to Seto's side.

The people who are truly hurt by this war are the soldiers and the civilians working for these kings and queens. This is, at the same time, their story. They choose who they want to serve, with the hope that the best leader will rule after all. However, when everybody seems equally corrupt, who do you root for? As you read through the story, you, the reader, can think about which king/queen you'd prefer to win, and silently root for them as they win or lose battles. And no, this isn't an interactive story where you choose the victors, sorry.

Hope you enjoyed the chapter! Stay awesome!


	6. Precious Metals

Author's Notes:

Here's hoping to a great chapter!

I'm probably going to take some time off to clean up the previous chapters. They really aren't up to my standards, and I feel that the quality of them does deter some people from reading after the first and second chapters.

* * *

**CHAPTER 6**

**Precious Metals**

* * *

**I**

**Hyrule Castle**

The room was cold. To the point where Link shivered. There he stood, in attendance of the royal family of Hyrule. In front of him was the famed crow, who had held Hyrule Castle for the last thousand years.

The last time the crown had been won by a human was little more than a millennium ago. Legend says that the dragons ruled over man with iron claws. Then one day, a single knight stood up against the dragons, and more and more people joined him. His name was Talios Harkinan, and the Goddesses came around to favouring him with victory. Ever since then, dragons have been extinct. To historicize his feat, he created his family's emblem, the crow.

_Even the smallest of birds can kill the mightiest of dragons._

King Harkinan was a crow, by birthright. So was Zelda. Link deserved to be a crow. He conquered twilight. He was the one who brought light back to the world, on the Goddesses's orders.

Yet his name was Link Ordon. Ordon was a street urchin's name, who originated from Ordon. A last name given to a boy without an actual last name to call his own. Often Rusl and Uli begged to the royal family to give Link the last name of Juste. They were never granted the honour.

"Link Ordon," King Harkinan said, placing emphasis on Ordon. "You truly are one of a kind. You know that?"

Link nervously nodded. Zelda sat beside King Harkinan, scratching her arm in anticipation. "Thank you, my king." This was the deciding moment of his life. He left Ilia, who had clearly been infatuated by him. He left a heart broken in Ordon, and he may leave with a heart broken in Hyrule Castle. Irony, Darbus called it.

"You are many things. You are a gentleman," King Harkinan genuinely smiled, "and you are also the Hero of Light. However... you are also a street urchin. A bastard, otherwise known as a man with no name."

"Father!" Princess Zelda gasped, raising her hand to cover her mouth.

"Silence!" King Harkinan commanded. "Ordon. You have no birthright, whatsoever. What makes you think that you have the right to take my daughter's hand in marriage?" He scoffed. "I forbid you from marrying Princess Zelda, my only child."

Suddenly people started to fill up the empty seats to the side. Darbus, Ralis, and many more watched, horrified.

"I saved your lands!" Link retorted.

"And I thank you for that, as one of my subjects. But you are not a nobleman. You are not going to marry my daughter."

"How can you stop love?" Darbus asked from the crowd. More murmurs of agreement followed.

"My king... with all due respect, I love your daughter. I loved her ever since I first laid my eyes upon her. I will love her until my last breath. I swear on my oath that I will do nothing more than to cherish her with all my heart."

King Harkinan laughed, "that's rich, I tell you! A bastard swearing on an oath!"

Link reddened, but persisted. It was clear at this point that the king wanted him gone. "I may be nameless, but you... you truly are the bastard."

Several gasps went through the audience. King Harkinan's face flushed, and he frowned. Guards immediately surrounded Link. Despite Link's best efforts, the guards contained the unarmed hero, and he was placed flat on his belly. The royal guards held Link down, preventing him from wriggling. Link turned his head upwards. Zelda began to scream and shout, but the king immediately quieted her. One man held a sword high above Link's head.

Instantly that sword turned to a guillotine. Link stood on the stage, and Zelda and King Harkinan were nowhere to be seen. The audience consisting of Darbus, Ralis, and others was changed to a group of strangers, and Seto and Jared stood behind Link, watching. This time, Juste was not there.

"Traitors shall not go unpunished!" King Seto exclaimed to the roaring approval of the crowds.

"You are the Hero of Light," King Harkinan's voice rang in his ears, "but you are also a street urchin."

Zelda's voice came next, uncharacteristically harsh, "Link, can you stop acting like a child for one day?"

Link gulped. "Women," Darbus's voice quietly said in his head, "scratch duty. This is the reason I won't get married."

_Thump_, his heart went.

"I will pray for you," Ashei solemnly said to Link as she watched, held by two guards. Link tried turning his head to see Ashei, with tears in her eyes.

_Thump._

Link looked up as best as he could to the guillotine suspended above his head. The last thing he saw was the sharp blade crashing on his neck. The pain lasted only a second, but it was fierce. Fiercer than anything Link had ever felt before.

Instantly Link woke up, panting. Sweat drenched his face, as he swiftly looked around. Absolutely nothing stirred in the entire castle, and the moon was high above, shining as a beacon. Trying to control his heart rate, Link laid back down on the bed, closing his eyes.

Somebody quietly knocked on the door. Loud enough that an awake person can hear it, but quiet enough that it could not wake a sleeping person. Link stood up, opening the door. Queen Zelda stood on the other side, lighting up her surroundings from a brilliant light emitting from her hand. According to Zelda, Link was also imbued with magic. However, he could not perform anything, no matter how hard he tried. As a result, he took up the reins as a swordsman completely, and often named by the people as the reincarnation of Talios. That was, however, the belief of the desert people.

All humans in Hyrule descended from three tribes, so to speak. The people of the desert were often said to be the oldest and most powerful. They believed heavily in a single God, who takes the soul of their leader. With that belief also came the belief of reincarnation. The people of the lakes were the origins of most surviving humans today. Strange occurrences happened in these lakes, and people started to worship the spirits who have been said to inhabit these lakes.

The people of the mountains are the youngest. They descended from great warriors, and most of them are some of the best swordsmen in Hyrule. They were a part of the people of the lakes, and were the first to join Talios Harkinan's rebellion against the dragons. When the Gerudos won Hyrule Castle generations afterwards, sympathizers of the royal family were deported to the Snowy Mountains. In their minds, Talios was a God. The greatest swordsman and king to have ever existed. They formulated the belief that upon death, he joined an afterlife, where he forever continues his battle against the dragons. Even to today, Talios is still looking for new warriors to fight alongside him, but only warriors who die honourably may have the pleasure of fighting beside him.

That's why Ashei was crying before she was killed. A public execution was not an honourable death. She could not go to Valhalla, the supposed afterlife where Talios fights the dragons for an eternity.

Zelda smiled at Link's blank face. "Why are you up so late?"

"I - I couldn't get any sleep," he lamely answered. "Why are you still awake?"

"I sensed your heart rhythm," she smiled, cupping his face with her hands, "I knew you were in trouble."

He took her hands off of him, "but why are you still awake?"

She sighed. There really was no point in lying to him. Link wasn't stupid; he would figure out soon enough. Queen Zelda just didn't want to worry him. She sat on the foot of Link's bed, rubbing her arm. "I know I can defend myself against anybody when I'm awake. However, I'm scared that in the night, when I'm asleep, somebody will... somebody will find me."

Link nervously chuckled, "everybody here is loyal to your cause. There's no reason to think that somebody will kill you in the middle of the night."

"I know. It's just... Link, can I tell you a secret?" Zelda asked. Link nodded. She hesitated, gathering up the strength to confess her sin. Silently, she stood up, defeated, and left the room.

"Zelda, wait!" Link shouted, careful not to wake other people up as well.

Tears flooded her eyes as she turned around, "it's best if you get some sleep. You'll need it for tomorrow."

* * *

Link dressed in his regular attire. Donned in green, Link stood at the gates of the castle. Since it was still early in the morning, Link and Zelda decided against waking up some of the council members to say goodbye to Link. As usual, Impa woke up earlier than Zelda, and Zeal did wake unusually early as well.

"Good luck," Impa smiled. Link waved back and mounted on Epona.

"Link," Zelda glared at him, "stay safe."

Link appreciatively nodded, and smiled at the group. Suddenly, from the steps of Hyrule Castle, Bruno appeared from the doorsteps, clad in his rough garments and a smile on his face.

"I'll go too," Bruno added.

"Think before you speak," Impa glared at him, "you'll go and do whatever you want when you're healthy. Right now, you're still a mess."

"I'm fine," Bruno retorted, "I'm good enough for the journey."

Impa looked at Zelda for approval, but saw none. Yet the young man remained resolute. She sighed, and glared at Link. The man clad in green did not pay too much attention. He simply watched clouds fly by, eager to leave the scene. The grass around Hyrule Castle was so green, but so lifeless at the same time. He wanted to be away from here. Now more than ever.

"Let him go," Link concluded, "he can help me out." Bruno smiled and ran towards Link and Epona, and the three left Hyrule Castle, and entered Hyrule's marketplace.

The marketplace was crowded, to say the least. Hundreds of salesmen pitching similar-looking wagons next to each other, selling their wares to any potential customers. Fish hang by racks, rows of potatoes and other vegetables lined up the merchant's stocks. What they needed was a horse for Bruno. Eventually they did find one by the end of the marketplace. The merchant had just two in possession, one fully grown, and of a beige colour, while the other was restless, and a white colour. Neither of them were particularly expensive, especially since Link and Bruno have access to royal funding, courtesy of Impa.

"Which one do you recommend?" Link asked.

"The beige one is going to be old soon. While she doesn't go fast, nor very far, she is a very steady ride. Three thousand rupees," the merchant said.

The entire time, Bruno eyed the white horse, "what about her?" he asked.

"She's still young. Unbroken and everything. It'll be tough controlling her, but my, she does go fast. Four thousand rupees."

Link was about to choose the first one for the price, but Bruno chipped in before Link could, "we'll take the second one," Bruno said. Link scoffed at Bruno's decision.

Despite not wanting to, Link wrote the check for the restless horse. With a smile, the merchant handed off the reins to Bruno.

"They say that the treasurer of Hyrule Castle can snap his fingers to make money," Link scoffed, "he can't. The treasury's broke. We have no money to spend on this entire trip."

"Then how do you propose to pay the _Tojo's_ services?" Bruno asked.

"In the form of a debt. We'll pay it off soon enough," Link grimaced as they left the castle, "but it's easier to pay off four thousand rupees than three thousand."

* * *

**II**

**Kakariko**

King Seto stood on the balcony of his castle. Since the war started, Kakarikans have never been so confident in themselves. People are spending more, and never complain, no matter how much Seto taxes them. "It's to build up an army," he'd always tell the poorer people.

Uninvited, Archime approached Seto, with a smile on his face. Archime was a true mastermind. He took the lifestyle of a monk recently, always preaching to the Goddesses. At the same time, he was forever loyal to King Seto. Before the war, Archime was a villain of sorts, and made his living off of betraying people. He had spies all over Hyrule, and some say that he had more elsewhere. When Seto claimed independence for Kakariko, his first priority was to execute Archime, who truly did oppose Seto for bringing a single government in to the city.

Archime was given a pardon, if he swore that he would only serve Seto, and serve him with his life. Archime accepted Seto's offer. Now Seto had access to secret information all over Hyrule through Archime. It _could_ prove invaluable in the future, depending on what surfaces.

"One of our spies has word that Link is travelling southeast, to hire the _Tojo_."

"That's in Papuchia?" Seto asked, and Archime nodded, "send an army there. Once Link arrives to the island, kill him at all costs," he muttered, "that bastard and his queen have caused me enough headaches so far. Oh, and send Jared here."

"I'll send an army to occupy Papuchia," Archime bowed, and abruptly left. In reality, it was a horror to bring neutral nations in to this conflict. Seto's orders are Seto's orders, and he had to obey, or lose his head. To show his true trust and new life, Archime was forced to shave his head and wear an orange robe to signify that he was a pardoned criminal.

Seto could be called a number of different things. Surprisingly brilliant was probably the best one to describe the king, however. Nobody else could think of having one of Archime's spies free Link, and act as a genuine friend to the hero. All the while, their spy would just watch over Link's every move and conversation. Bruno Madias may just be their upper hand against Queen Zelda. Maybe.

"You wanted to see me, sir?" Jared asked, climbing the stairs.

"Three kingdoms united in fear of Queen Zelda and the Hero of Light," King Seto smiled. Quickly, he made the decision not to tell Jared that Link was as good as dead. Weeks ago, he decided that Jared was no longer worthy of his trust.

"What I'm worried about is the inevitable fight that'll happen after we take Hyrule Castle. Juste and Manni will also want it for themselves, and another war is created," Jared replied, staring at the sky. He placed his hands on the balcony rails, which were made of steel.

"Which is why I'll get rid of them in due time. Right now, Hyrule Castle is ours for the taking. Send a message to Termina and Koholint. Tell them to mobilize their forces. Soon we'll siege Hyrule Castle."

"But what about the Zoras?"

"A few weeks ago Archime said that Ralis wanted to remain neutral in this. Fine by me."

"That was a few weeks ago," Jared objected, "something might have happened since then. Plus I wouldn't trust Archime. He's nothing but trouble."

"I agree with you about him not being trustworthy," Seto lied, "but we'll have to trust him for now. Send the message to Juste and Manni. Today is the day. We're going to siege the castle."

"Yes, my lord," Jared nodded, "anything else?"

"How about a wine?" Seto smiled, "for old time's sake." Jared nodded, appreciating the kind gesture.

_Jared thought of himself as brilliant_, Seto silently observed. Jared was obviously trying to play a game of power, and his opponent was Archime. He's trying to discredit Archime in any way possible, but why?

Recently enough, Archime did tell Seto that Ralis had sided with Queen Zelda. That was little more than a minor setback, in the long run. What he was concerned about was the endgame after Hyrule Castle was destroyed. Kakariko, Termina, and Koholint would be left by themselves. While this seemed undesirable, a trio of nations was exactly what Seto needed for the time being.

If one nation attacks another, then the victim nation can hopefully count on the third nation to help in the counterattack. From this, peace is created from fear. Except that Seto also wanted more than Kakariko and a portion of Hyrule Fields. The world was his for the taking, and the death of his brother made that possible.

* * *

** III**

**Sand Port**

No matter how much time Darbus spent in the desert, he could not get used to the desert. The heat was close to unbearable, and sucked the life out of anybody. Yet, the residents did not seem to have a problem with it. _How would these people fare in Death Mountain?_ Darbus thought to himself. Sure, Death Mountain was still fairly hot in the daytime (it _was _a less extreme desert, after all), but it was not anywhere near the same level of heat.

Not a single cloud formed over the sky since he had been there. Throughout the four weeks that he had been in Sand Port, there was not a single drop of water anywhere, other then the sea disconnecting the port from Koholint.

The second of Ramsi's boats, _Typhoon_, was nearing completion. Surprisingly enough, Ramsi was an excellent shipbuilder, even though he claimed no experience in the field. That was partially because the man neglected financing. Although his father's budget on the ships were excellent, he spent far too much on _Hurricane_, and _Typhoon _and _Tornado_ were going to suffer as a result.

Every time a new shipment of supplies came in, Ramsi had ordered for a new report on his remaining budget. No matter what, Darbus remained timely with the reports. As soon as the most recent one was finished, he archived a copy of it in Ramsi's personal office and looked for the man.

Ramsi was helping to build ships. Unlike before, he finally helped out with lifting the parts of the ship after Darbus recommended doing so, since it would save time and money. Looking at the young man's expression from the tedious work, Darbus couldn't help but feel awful about his own recommendation. As a result, he put the report on one of the nearby crates and approached Manni's nephew. For the past few moments, Ramsi had been trying to lift a long, wooden beam, but to no avail. Darbus immediately placed his hands at the other side of Ramsi, and prepared to lift it. This earned a surprised stare from Ramsi, but he recovered and helped to lift it. With one seemingly effortless movement, the duo successfully lifted the beam and carried it on to the deck, where a worker nailed it to the ground.

Ramsi panted from the effort, and his cloths were dirty from the amount of work he had done since dawn. Unlike other people of royal descent, Ramsi dressed quite modestly, which was somewhat appreciated by his employees. "I couldn't do any work otherwise," Ramsi always told people when they asked him about his wardrobe.

"Do you..." Ramsi panted, clearly out of breath. "Do you have the report?" he asked. Darbus nodded, and retrieved it from the crate. Ramsi skimmed over it, and frowned when he took notice of the final sum. "Damn it!" he threw the papers on the ground. There would not reasonably be enough money to complete _Tornado_. Ramsi had no doubts that he could pay off a loan at Sand Port's bank, should he get one, but Aman would find out about it, then. That information would travel from Aman to Manni, who would bring him back to Koholint in shame.

In frustration, he kicked a garbage can over, and stormed out. Darbus took care to place the garbage can upright, and went outside. Ramsi gripped his head, and lowered himself, sitting on the ground with his back against the factory wall. Darbus considered his options. A breakdown like this would be crucial information for Queen Zelda. It would imply that family relations were not stable, and that could be used in their advantage. Yet he decided against that -for the moment- and sat next to Ramsi.

"I had _one_ job!" Ramsi shouted out, "and I couldn't even do that!"

"Find other ways to raise the money. You're not gaining anything by standing around here," Darbus scoffed.

That comment had left Ramsi silent, and the human man thought about Darbus' comment. Eventually, with no response, Darbus stood up and left to continue work on the ship. That changed, when he heard the sound of a familiar horn brewing in the distance, followed by the screams of man and woman alike. Darbus turned his back, and instinctively went to the source of the sounds. After a few moments of running, he ended up in the town square, where King Bulbin, atop Lord Bullbo, and his herd were terrorizing the village, and destroying shops. Several bodies of dead civil enforcement officers littered the streets already, and more would arrive. People ran away from the centre of Sand Port, and that left only a few brave souls. One of which was Darbus.

King Bulbin's group advanced on the Town Hall, where Auru was held up. Midst the chaos going through Sand Port, Darbus found the recklessness, stupidity, and courage to call out King Bulbin himself, who was armed with a brand new spear. After the call, King Bulbin turned, facing away from the town hall. A sneer emerged from the king's face when he saw the same man who had knocked him down in the Eastern Hyrule Fields. With his spear pointed at Darbus, he charged with full force.

In panic, Darbus rolled out of the way, forcing Lord Bullbo to a stop. King Bulbin took this as an opportunity to speak. "I... I remember you. You stole my sword," he smiled, showing his rotten teeth, "you might have thought it would look good in your collection of swords, didn't you?" The smile immediately turned to a frown. "Well, your head will look _great_ in my collection of heads!"

The other Bulbins surrounded Darbus, itching to see their leader once again prove himself. With one swift motion, King Bulbin marched on Darbus, but narrowly missed. Suddenly regretting his decision of getting involved, Darbus attempted to escape, but he was pushed back by the Bulbins. While King Bulbin once again prepared, Darbus managed to escape out of the artificial circle just outside of the town hall.

The Goron ran swiftly, but King Bulbin was catching up on him. Eventually, Darbus reached Sand Port's bazaar, where fruit stands were laid across the area neatly. In an attempt to lose King Bulbin, he knocked down many of the stands as he ran past them, and created chaos for the merchants, who had their fruits squished by the pursuing King Bulbin. When the bazaar ended, an alleyway stretched out before him. Darbus looked back, and nobody appeared behind him... yet. He ran through the alleyway, hoping it was not a dead end. He emerged to the other side of the street, where a Bulbin was waiting for him. He was about to backtrack in the alleyway, but heard the rampaging steps of Lord Bullbo getting closer, and he decided against it.

The Bulbin held his mace high, ready to hit Darbus in the stomach, but the Goron kicked the Bulbin away in time. The dazed Bulbin stepped back, and watched as Darbus ran away. A few seconds later, Lord Bullbo appeared from the alleyway.

Eventually the chase brought the two back outside of town hall, where officers watched over the main entrance, but they likely could not stop King Bulbin's wrath. Fortunately for Darbus, however, he managed to lose all of the Bulbins in the bazaar. All except the largest one. Tired and desperate, Darbus stood his ground, and glared at King Bulbin, waiting for him to make the first move. The King's spear stretched out wildly in his attempt to hit Darbus, but did not succeed. Frustrated with Darbus' evasiveness, King Bulbin stepped off of Lord Bullbo, and held the spear out.

Surprisingly, King Bulbin threw his spear on the ground, leaving the both of them unarmed. Suddenly, windows in the town square started to open just a little bit, to see the action. Even Aman silently watched it from her office. King Bulbin shrieked out something that can only be perceived as a battle cry, and charged at Darbus. Darbus met King Bulbin, but stepped back a few feet from the force of the Bulbin's charge. The two remained locked as they fought to push the other one away, but neither would move. It was not until Darbus kicked King Bulbin in the stomach that the two let go. King Bulbin swung a punch, but Darbus caught it with his left hand, and swung his own with his right hand, hitting King Bulbin in the jaw.

King Bulbin staggered slightly, and Darbus took advantage of this, delivering an uppercut on King Bulbin's jaw, which might have been already broken. The shock sent the Bulbin down to the ground, and Darbus kicked King Bulbin's exposed upper back. After that, King Bulbin remained motionless. Officers immediately came to the scene and dragged King Bulbin away, but most of his herd had fled away from Sand Port. King Bulbin looked one last time at Darbus as he got was forced up by the officers, and sneered.

_You'll pay for that, my friend_, King Bulbin's expression said. Lord Bullbo also gave in, and followed King Bulbin away, most likely to jail. Darbus turned around to pick up the lance, but stopped when he saw Ramsi staring at him, speechless at Darbus' accomplishment.

"That was amazing," was all Ramsi could muster up. Awkwardly, Darbus nodded, and picked up the lance. "You _must_ tell me: where did you learn such fighting prowess?"

Quite often, in Death Mountain, the patriarch was the largest, and subsequently, the strongest Goron in the area. Darbus rightfully earned his title as patriarch after defeating Gor Coro in a sumo match. But of course, he wasn't going to say that. While he was thinking of a convincing lie, two officers appeared behind the two. "Lady Aman, Mayor of Sand Port wants to speak to you," the first one said.

The two obeyed, and went inside the town hall. Now would be as good of a time as ever to ask for a loan, Ramsi decided. After three flights of stairs, they finally made it to Aman's office, where she sat behind a large, wooden desk. Outside of their room was Auru, who let the duo in. Darbus and Auru did exchange quick glances, but nothing to raise suspicion by any bystanders that the two knew each other.

Darbus and Ramsi took seats opposite from Aman. Ramsi's sister had a cup of tea in her hands, and took a sip before speaking. "I was quite impressed by your bravery..." she spoke, waiting for a name.

"Laro," Darbus finally answered.

"I was quite impressed by your bravery, Laro," she said, smiling. She stood up, and fully opened up the curtains, allowing sunlight to pierce the office. "Tell me one thing: where did you gain such strength and bravery?"

Darbus had no choice than to lie. "A- a... spur of the moment, I suppose." Darbus was fairly happy with his answer. It was answered the question, and kept his stuttering unsuspicious. Natural, even. He just hoped that she wouldn't be asking him such pointless questions. It was well known that Gorons were far stronger than humans.

"Interesting. Those bandits killed many good men," she said. "Good men with families. But without your help, many more men would have died right there. For that, I thank you." Eventually, Aman decided to get to the point. She desperately needed to have King Bulbin interrogated, and possibly executed. "I think that you would be quite suitable as a royal guard, shielding King Manni of Koholint himself."

Darbus was speechless. This was not something he could say no to. A royal guard was much better in honour than an assistant shipbuilder. Also, the pay grade was much higher for a guard. Yet he would never fight against Queen Zelda. "That is not in your power to decide," Ramsi cut in to the conversation. "I am his current employer, and he is bound by contract."

"As your mayor, it _is _my decision," Aman retorted, "or should I contact our uncle about this?"

"Tell him," Ramsi dared, "I don't care. He's bound to a contract." It was quite strange, to have his employer defending Darbus in such a way. When it came to shipbuilding and reports, Darbus was only average among those who could read and write (and there were many literate people in Sand Port). He wasn't going to complain, however, since he would have to flee from Sand Port if he was drafted in to Manni's royal guards. To be honest, he did quite like Ramsi, and this act only helped build upon what was somewhat of a friendship between an employer and his employee. Still, he _was_ the enemy.

"I shall tell him," Aman said. "I promise you that."

Ramsi stood up with a frown on his face. He got up, and was about to leave, but waited for Darbus. Just before he closed the door, he had one final thing to say. "Oh, and sister," he smiled, opening the door just slightly, "also tell him how many officers you let die on the streets today."

* * *

**IV**

**Termina**

"Juste says that him, Seto, and Manni shall siege Hyrule Castle tonight," Uli said, bringing Rusl some tea. Rusl relaxed, and graciously took the cup from her. "If we're going to help Queen Zelda, now is the time."

Paranoia died down as the weeks progressed for Rusl and Uli. Initially, they were scared that 'the walls have ears', meaning that somebody would always be listening to them. After a while, they decided that was not the case, and became more and more confident with their choice of words.

"What can we do? We're in a foreign land... and our home sides with Juste," he scoffed, "no matter how much he denies it, we _are_ his prisoners."

"But we don't have to help him."

Rusl thought about that for a moment. While his brother was fair and honourable, he was also a rebel, and challenged Hyrule's perpetual quest for peace. The fact that Juste threatened to kill them was also not helping. Queen Zelda, on the other hand, was kinder, and truly did believe in peace. It was easy to think of siding with her, but the problem lies in the fact that she's losing. Ultimately, Rusl decided on doing what keeps them alive. And that was nothing.

"It'll be too risky to help her. What if we're caught?"

She remained quiet after that, but kept on glancing at him. Rusl did sympathize with Hyrule, even though he grew up in Termina. Uli was born and raised in Ordon, and her loyalty resided with the royal family. Eventually, their silence was interrupted by Colin, who had entered the room, and closed the door behind them. He took a seat, and expressed worry on his face.

"Dad, I'm worried about Link," Colin immediately said.

"So am I, but we can't do anything," Rusl embraced his only son. "He'll be fine."

Uli's loud cough cleared up worry in the room. Her facial expression told him that there _was_ something that he can do to help Link. Yet he passively ignored it. Colin nodded, understanding his father's empty words. If Juste won, then Link was as good as dead. But in the unlikely case that Zelda won, then Brandon would be killed, or taken prisoner. Either way, Colin lost.

"There must be something we can do," Colin muttered, "to keep Link safe.

Rusl and Uli exchanged glances, and the husband sighed. Rusl stood up, and left the room. Outside, out of the view of Colin and Uli, he grabbed his hair in frustration. Neither of them understood the realities of war. Betraying somebody like Juste would be too risky, and Queen Zelda was a lost cause. Yet his son still wanted to save Link. But then, a brilliant thought entered his mind. Rusl himself would lead King Juste's navies, and if he finds Link and Zelda, then he'll secretly capture the two, and keep them safe. That way, Juste still wins Hyrule Castle, and Link is alive.

* * *

**V**

**Ordon**

Harra returned from his trip pleasantly surprised by Aman. She did prove herself to be nice and all, but... there was something not right about her, Harra thought to himself. A dark aura of sorts. With his family, everything truly was painted in black and white. No secrets were held among the royal family of Termina.

Aman's family was certainly different, especially since she was the niece to King Manni. Manni is often depicted as the most feared man in Hyrule, and the closest a human not of Harkinan descent had ever come to taking Hyrule Castle. With an army a tenth of the size of Hyrule Castle's army, Manni led Koholint to a year-long campaign, taking Zora's Domain, Death Mountain, Kakariko, and the desert, and had not lost a single battle against King Harkinan. However, twilight dawned on Koholint, and later, parts of Hyrule, and that forced Manni to retreat, just before he was to siege on Hyrule Castle. Since then, King Harkinan had mended the spite between himself and Manni, and peace was restored. All lands in Hyrule were returned to King Harkinan, in exchange for large sums of gold and rights to the desert.

Aman looked quite like Manni, and had the same eyes. Of course, Harra never knew what Manni looked like, but heard about him. On one side, he wanted to see what Manni was like. The face of a conqueror. Then again, he also feared such a man. If Harra couldn't warrant his father's approval, how could he get approval from somebody like Manni?

He would know soon enough what Manni was like, when Harra marries Aman. A slight problem stands, however, in the fact that he does not want to marry her. She seems fairly nice, but she was clearly not for him. Harra didn't have much of a choice, but in the end, he was going to be a king.

He smiled to himself as he acquainted himself with his home in Ordon once again. Everything was still there, but it was still empty somehow. He prepared to rest, but a knock on the door, brought him from his bed and to his home's entrance.

Blackthorne stood at attention, "hello, sir," he sincerely smiled, stretching out his hand,"I hope I'm not disturbing you."

"Not at all," Harra yawned, placing a hand over his mouth. He did appear slightly tired, but that was largely just exaggeration in attempt for Blackthorne to leave. The trip was fairly long and his mind was hazed with questions. He really would prefer some rest before anything else.

"Well, I would like to congratulate you on your new ownership of the _Erasmus,_ bought from the Terminian Royal Navy." Harra gave a perplexed facial expression, wondering what the sailor was talking about. Blackthorne understood Harra's confusion, "Juste Valle, acting King of Termina, bought the ship for you in honour of your birthday."

A wave of recognition surged through Harra. "How could I forget that today's my birthday?" he smiled. "I really would love to travel back to Termina in celebration, if possible."

Blackthorne's expression became more serious, and the smile faded, "I'm afraid that a storm's coming in before we'd make it. We shouldn't take the risk."

"I see," Harra nodded, "I'm sorry to hear that."

"The weather should be nice for a few more hours, so if you'd like to take a walk..."

"That would be nice, but I'll stay alone for the meanwhile, if that's okay with you."

"Of course, my lord," Blackthorne bowed, and stood up, walking away.

Harra stretched and looked outside. Every day, a few carriages traveled back and forth from Ordon to Hyrule City. Now that Ordon declared itself for Termina, the Ordanian fruits and vegetables were now sold to Kakariko and Sand Port, and no food reached Hyrule Castle. Doubtless it would do anything, since there were countless fields of rice just outside of Hyrule Castle. Harra took a walk to the village, and saw the children running around. Talo stopped and waved at Harra, and the older man waved back.

_Erasmus_ was parked right on the river that flowed out of Ordon. Its crew was attaching new wood to it, and also smiled at him. He ignored all of that when he saw Ilia picking out pumpkins for Ordon's annual harvest. Eventually the crops were going to wither away as the weather got colder, and she figured now would be the opportune moment to take the fruits. Ilia had a basket on the ground, and inspected the pumpkins before putting them in the bag.

Harra mustered up the courage to talk to her. With a single breath, he stepped on the dirt covering the field, and stared at her, trying to say something, but didn't have anything to say, really.

Eventually she did look up, and found him standing there, motionless. "May I help you?" she immediately asked.

"I wanted to say hello, and thank you."

"Thanks? For what?" Ilia asked, scratching her forehead in confusion. As a result, she put down the basket containing the fruits and approached Harra.

Harra gave a sincere smile, "thank you," he said, "for everything. For impressing my father. For listening to my story. Everything."

"I forgot to ask," she nodded, picking up the basket of pumpkins, "how was the Princess of Koholint? Was she nice?"

She started to carry the basket of pumpkins away, and Harra followed her. Their pace was slow and steady, and they followed along the stream that went through Ordon. She patiently waited for an answer, and a barrage of seemingly random words escaped from his mouth as he found the right ideas about Aman. "She's interesting," he finally said in a complete sentence. "She's seemingly random. She is beautiful, but no doubt that she can be quite rude and manipulating as well," he faked a smile at her, but she understood how he felt. "This was all to do good for the King of Termina. May the Goddesses crush that man for the swine he is."

"I hear that he's a leader," Ilia sighed, "perhaps he's just hard on you. You _are_ his firstborn, after all." She put the fruits in a cart just outside of her house, and carried the empty basket to retrieve the other fruits. "I think that you've never really communicated with him, before."

"Do you communicate with your father?" Harra asked, his interest peaked. Although she did take notice in the uninvited question, she did not really mind.

"Yes, I do," she said. A drop of water hit her face, and another, but she remained resolute, picking up the tomatoes and remaining pumpkins. "I had to. When I was a child, I was depressed. Alone. So was my Father," she said. To Harra, a tear appeared to drip down Ilia's face, but the prince couldn't tell, since the drizzle became heavier and heavier. "Nobody was there to help us. Nobody understood how we felt as we grew up." Harra stared at her, waiting for her to continue. She inspected one tomato that looked particularly rotten, and threw it in the river. "My Mother died giving birth to me," she quietly muttered, clearly sobbing in the process, "I never knew who she was, but Dad tells me that I look just like her," she cried.

The drizzle moved on to a rain, and Harra wanted to go inside to keep warm. However, he did not leave her side, and remained to hear her story. "I - I'm sorry to hear that," he finally said, "I can't imagine how that could feel, I'm sorry. On my word, my heart goes out to you and your father."

"He loved her," Ilia sobbed, placing the basket down on a stump, and covered her face, "I may not have been there, but I know that -that- she was the reason he lived. She was the reason he g-got up every morning. She died, Harra, she left him alone! Since mom died, dad didn't get out of bed. He just kept me close, and cried. Dad told me that eventually, he got up and started to paint a portrait of her while she was still in his memory." Ilia tried wiping the tears off, but they blended seamlessly with the rain. Ilia said, "he hanged the portrait of her in his house, just outside of his bedroom. To this day, I see him... I see Dad staring at the portrait every time he passes the bedroom. Sometimes dad dropped to the ground in weakness. Every night I hear him whisper her name. 'Iara,' Dad had whispered, 'I love you. I'll always love you, until my last breath'."

Harra looked to face her, and saw her staring at the ground. "Then what happened... after she died?" he cautiously said. While he was interested, he did not want to offend her in any way. She looked up at him and continued.

"Father was too weak to carry on from a day to day basis. When I was about four, I realized that every other child my age had a mother holding their hand. I became upset and grew jealous." She sighed, "worst of all, I felt alone. Nobody understood me. The only person who was in the same boat as me was my dad, so we stayed close. We gave strength to each other. Then one day, he brought a boy from the woods."

"Link," Harra croaked, recognizing where the story was heading.

Ilia nodded, "Somehow, Link understood me. He knew exactly how to comfort me on my problems," she said, thinking deeply, "I suppose that's because he's never met either of his parents. Yet he never complained about his problems. Link was just there to make everybody else feel better," she muttered. She looked back at the ground, away from Harra, "I loved him. Over the years, I fell in love with him." She forced a smile, and continued to tell her story. "I was at Hyrule City, when I saw Link purchasing an engagement ring. After that, I had waited here, in Ordon, for him to propose to me," her fake smile turned in to an honest frown. The rain became heavier.

It was strange. At this point, Harra desperately wanted to go inside. Yet he felt compelled to stay outside. "And you received word that Link was marrying Zelda."

"He told me himself. No matter how gently he put it, the truth still hurt," she quietly said. "I have to stay strong because my Father is becoming weaker as he ages. Dad is a purposeful man, and he needs a reason to live, or else he'll just stay inside his house, waiting to die. He lives to make sure that I'm happy. Yet there's nothing he can do, so I'll just smile as if nothing ever happened," Ilia's tears had been washed away in the rain. "I have to act like Mom is still here. That Link meant nothing to me."

"I don't want to marry Aman," Harra abruptly said, and took a pause. He placed his hands on Ilia's cheeks, "I want to marry you."

Harra placed his face forward, with the intent of kissing her. She gave in to his request, and the two embraced each other, in the heavy rain. Several curtains were pulled out; no doubt at least half of the villagers were watching.

Their kiss ended as Ilia pushed him away. She frowned. "I'd want to marry you too, but you have to obey your father."

"Damn the King. Damn Termina. All I want is you," he said, and kissed her again. "We'll go somewhere. I have the wealth for us to move somewhere else by tonight."

"No," Ilia croaked between kisses, "there's nowhere to go."

"We'll go to Hyrule City. Or Kakariko," Harra smiled, "or Termina, if you're feeling adventurous. No matter what, we can't stay here."

"What if I don't want to leave Ordon?"

He pulled away from her, and backed away. "Then I'm going alone. Either way, I can't stay here," he said, frowning.

Ilia paused. "I'll go with you," she finally said.

"We can leave at dusk, if you want," Harra offered.

* * *

**VI**

**South Hyrule Fields**

The ride lasted a few hours for Link and Bruno, yet they were nowhere close to the sea. Hyrule Castle was still in sight, towering above the other buildings in the capital. As the two traveled, the castle appeared farther and farther away. Finally, it was just out of sight. The duo found an inn on their journey to the coastline, and dismounted their horses, hoping to find some food and avoid the rain. The inn was rather empty. There were a few wanderers who had booked in and were enjoying their lunch, and a waitress came to greet the Link and Bruno. She found them a seat, and promptly brought them their choice of lunches. Link wanted cooked salmon (after his imprisonment, he did lose some muscle mass, and needed to regain it fast), while Bruno took the same thing.

"Will we be there soon?" Bruno said right after he swallowed. Although it was not clear to Bruno, he did understand that they were going to be traveling to the coastline, where a sailor would bring them to Papuchia. He took note of that earlier that day and conveyed the message to Archime.

"No, we won't," Link grimly said.

Thunderous hooves came crashing down outside of the inn, and everybody heard three men dismounting their horses. Promptly, all three soldiers entered the inn, proudly wearing Hyrule Castle's symbol, which was currently the Triforce.

"Your grace," one of them began, obviously tired, based on the pant of his voice. "Queen Zelda wants you back at Hyrule Castle."

"Did she specify why?" Bruno asked. One of the soldiers eyed him suspiciously, but Link paid them no heed.

"The Queen did not specify why, but she said it was of urgent business. Life-threatening, even."

Link immediately followed the group out of the inn. Mounting on their horses, they went to Hyrule Castle, with the Sun finally setting.

* * *

In the darkness of the night, soldiers lined up along the walls of the throne room, inside of Hyrule Castle. At the throne stood Zelda, and her bodyguard, Impa. Zeal stood at her left. After a few moments Link had shown up, followed by Bruno.

As was custom, both Link and Bruno bent their knees to the Queen. She allowed them to stand again. Link had expected Zelda to be more worried, but she was largely furious. She eyed Link for a moment, and then spoke. "Link, I am displeased to announce that you can no longer travel to Papuchia. We have received word by letter that the village by the sea has been occupied by dozens of Terminian ships, and armed by Kakarikan men."

Impa decided to add to what Zelda said. She stared at Link, and frowned. "Only you, Zelda, Zeal, Shad and I knew of your trip to Papuchia. And I am completely certain that we are all loyal to Queen Zelda, and none of us are spies who would let such information leak to the enemies," she said. Impa then pointed to Bruno, "he also knows. I find it strange that he had formerly served under the traitor, Seto, just recently."

"We accuse you of being a spy," Zeal said to Bruno. A guard appeared from behind Bruno, and held his arms in place, keeping him from moving. "Do you plead guilty of being a traitor?"

"Yes," Bruno growled. "And it was a brilliant plan. After I release Link, I was allowed in Hyrule Castle without any limits. Imagine the information I've found. What we now know is far more valuable than Link," he smiled, "and I understand the punishment, and I accept it."

"You do realize that your punishment is death, correct?" Zelda asked, raising an eyebrow in surprise.

"Yes, I do realize that, but it doesn't matter."

Zelda was suspicious, yet horrified. How could such a young man be so open to death? He could have had so much to live for, but he'd die without anybody knowing. It didn't make sense. The boy was too confident. Too brave. There was a trick somewhere, and he would expose it somewhere, in his words. Her train of thought was interrupted by a sudden 'boom' from a castle walls, and the ground shook beneath them. Zelda fell down, and struggled to get back up. Suddenly, there was a distant sound of some men screaming, and another bomb went off.

In the confusion in the throne room, Bruno pulled out a knife and stabbed the guard behind him with it. The guard fell down, clutching his stomach in pain, and Bruno swiftly ran away. "What the hell is going on?" Zelda yelled out, getting back up. Immediately, another bomb was heard, but from the western side of Hyrule Castle.

A general appeared in the throne room, and ordered all of the men to the east end of Hyrule Castle, and the guard who was stabbed was carried to the infirmary. "We're being attacked on the eastern side by Lord Seto's armies. He's gone full force on the invasion, and we couldn't spot them because of the darkness," he grimaced, "and on the western side, King Manni's forces have advanced on you, and they're bombing that side of the wall."

"This is awful!" Impa cried out.

The general shook his head, "that's not all. Apparently a fraction of Lord Seto's forces are in the north, but they aren't attacking us. Instead, they are blockading the Zoras. Doubtful that the Zoras will triumph in that time, considering Zora's Domain is downhill. Finally, we have reports that King Juste's navy has been sailing through Greystone River, which is extremely close to here. They're probably going to reinforce the eastern siege."

"And you're sure about that?" Zeal asked.

"We've received multiple reports about Seto's army blocking the Zoras from helping. Most of those came from farmers. And we've received almost a hundred reports already about Juste's navy."

All of this was expertly timed, Zelda thought to herself. The attack was supposed to take place as Link was away, later to be captured. Bruno was a spy, and he managed to carry this information like a true professional. Queen Zelda was played, and now she's to pay the price.

"Get all troops mobilized," Zelda commanded to the general, "archers. Swordsmen. Everything. And order the Chief of Security to prepare the city for siege." She regained herself and walked out, and Link followed her.

Link stepped outside of the balcony, prepared to address thousands of soldiers within the castle walls. Most of them were confused. Others were scared. "Listen!" he shouted, but they would not pay him attention. He continued to do things for their attention, but nothing worked. "Men! I understand that this is a stressful time-"

"We're being attacked on two fronts!" one soldier shouted back. "How the bloody hell are we going to survive?"

"LISTEN!" Link boomed at the top of his voice. That quieted the crowd down, and the only sound left were bombs going off outside of the castle. "Do you think I ever gave up on my quest? I too was fighting two fronts: Lord Zant and King Bulbin. It doesn't matter where you are, or the quality of your weapons!" Link shouted. "The element of surprise is overrated! We don't need a numbers advantage either!"

Link quieted down, and collected himself. "What matters," he said, and promptly pointed at his heart, "is how fiercely you fight! How brave you are! What matters... is your heart." Link raised a hand, "we'll win this, and there's one reason for that: every Hylian soldier is worth ten of those bastards!"

Roars of approval came from the crowd, and they dispersed. Most went to the western side of Hyrule Castle, and about a fifth went the eastern side. This difference in numbers is quite understandable, since King Manni is undoubtedly more dangerous than Seto.

Link placed his hand on the sheath of his sword, and ran to defend all that he knew. In the fires outside of the castle, he saw true beauty in the area, like never before. The grass was lush, and paved with history. His home. His people. His Queen. He'll save it all - or die trying.

* * *

**END CHAPTER**

**Words: 9,486**

* * *

Author's Notes:

Next chapter is probably going to be only on the battle for Hyrule Castle. There will be a lot of action, I can guarantee that.

Yes, the romance scene between Ilia and Harra was somewhat rushed, but I needed it finished _before_ the next chapter. There is a correlation between these two events, and it's important to the overall story line. That, and I really am awful at romance. Also, I just wanted to say that somebody will die as a result of this love. Because somebody always has to die in a plot concerning love.

Bruno being a spy was something I thought of in the last few moments. I thought the whole ordeal of Bruno's actions were pretty clever, but that's just me.

Although I don't think of myself as very good at expressing the various characters' motivations (although I feel I am improving), you can still see the intentions of some of the characters, like Rusl. In stories like _the Lord of the Rings_ or actual Legend of Zelda games, so many of the characters are there for a specific part, and abruptly leave shortly afterwards. In this story, every character has their own intentions and struggle for power, and have a continuous and every-changing role in the story. Some of the characters, like Prince Ralis, haven't had much attention in the plot thus far, but he and the Zoras in particular will have a much larger role in soon, starting next chapter, during the siege on Hyrule Castle. But one character that really is a filler is Prince Ralis' soon to be wife. She herself is so minor of a character in this story that I can't remember her name. She's only there for the wedding between her and Ralis, where some serious stuff is going to go down. Bah, now I feel inclined to create a full-fledged character out of her.

I also need to expand on Auru. And Blackthorne. And I also need to find Manni a friend as an excuse to have more scenes with the cold-hearted king. Colin will also have a much, much bigger role soon enough.

If you enjoyed this chapter, please review. Likewise, I always accept constructive criticism.


	7. Uphill

Author's Notes:

Enjoy! This is quite a long chapter, and I've also changed the formatting quite a bit...

* * *

**CHAPTER 7**

**Uphill**

* * *

**Rusl Valle**

"How's the wind?" Rusl asked the captain of the ship, turning head his away from what's in front of him, but only for the moment. In response, the captain shrugged, not giving a clear answer. Rusl sighed and placed his arms on the railing of the ship. Their ship was among fifteen to be in Juste Valle's navy, and they were right in the middle of the pack, so to speak. The ship had been up with cannons and supplies. However, their main goal was to provide more men to the eastern front when needed. Between the cargo in every ship, they had at least ten thousand men, waiting to be dropped off and sack Hyrule Castle. The reason why Rusl wanted to know the wind was because they were going upstream, against the current in Greystone River. As long as the wind was with them, they could make the journey without needing men on the oars.

"The wind will be with us the entire time," a man came up behind Rusl, somewhat surprising the swordsman. He outstretched an arm, and smiled at Rusl. The young man had black hair and hazel eyes, and slightly shorter than him. "My name is Blackthorne, pleased to meet you, Rusl."

Rusl was taken aback by the stranger's choice of words. Slowly, he shifted his head from the man's hand, looking him in the eyes. "If I've met you, then I'm sorry, because I've forgotten," he said, not raising his hand to shake Blackthorne's. Blackthorne shrugged, but remained unfazed.

"I command this ship. I named her _Blackthorne_, after myself. I also helped Harra. He's told me about you." Blackthorne sighed, and gripped at rails next to Rusl. "He says that you're the greatest swordsman Termina had ever produced. Many others say the same thing, so it_ is_ quite an honour to meet you."

If it were any other man, they would have been flattered. However, years of extensive training had humbled Rusl, and he no longer thought of himself that way. The only thing that he could say was that he taught the greatest swordsman who ever lived, and that was a boy, clad in green. Rusl shrugged the compliment off. "That's what they say," he forced a smile, "but I say that I'm not much more than an old man." Blackthorne nodded, and lowered his head, watching the seas below him.

"That's what your son, Colin, told me. And your nephew, Harra." Rusl glared at Blackthorne with a quizzical expression on his face. _How did he meet Colin_? was the thought Rusl's face emitted. "I know a surprisingly large number of people. I'll add you to that list as well, for future reference."

"And why do you need to know so many people?" Rusl asked, raising an eyebrow. He maintained his glare on the young man, expecting a snide comment. However, he got something much more memorable.

"One day," Blackthorne forced a clumsy smile, "one day, this whole goddamn ship is going to burn. Then, I'll need a new one. And I'll be going through the long list of contacts to find a poor old sap who'd give me one."

"Have you been drinking?" Rusl immediately asked, judging by the seafarer's clumsiness on the water.

Blackthorne frowned, "a little." The young man clumsily walked down the steps on to the main deck of the ship, holding his hands behind his back. He was prepared to go inside of the hull for a moment, but abruptly stopped. He turned to face Rusl once again, only to find that the swordsman kept his glare on Blackthorne. "The wind will be fine," he shouted. Then he sighed. "The wind will be fine..."

Rusl scoffed, and returned to looking forward. The river flowed quickly, but the wind was unusually strong that day. A cold breeze ran through the swordsman, and he shivered, ever so slightly. Rusl went inside, being tired, cold, and anxious of the peril that faced him. Once inside the master's cabin, he laid on the bed, idly looking up at the ceiling. A few faint sounds of bombs going off could be heard in the background, so he turned around to ignore them. If he was lucky, he might be able to get an hour's worth of sleep before they reach the middle of Greystone River, which was within horseback distance to Hyrule Castle. But anxiety kept him awake. Although it was quite irrational, he had the feeling that Hyrule Castle knew about the impeding naval invasion, and had plans against them. That was rather unlikely, considering the west and east sides of Hyrule Castle were being attacked, and the north and south sides were closely monitored. Nevertheless, he closed his eyes, hoping for momentary rest.

* * *

**Petar De'Groot**

"Fire!" an archer shouted. Instantly, several dozen flaming arrows went blazing from the top of Hyrule Castle, down to the advancing armies. Some hit men, downing them. Others missed completely. "Fire!" the archer shouted again. The arrows lit up the night sky, which was dark and cloudy, with no moon overhead.

The castle was not built in mind for archers in particular. In a typical castle, such as the one in Termina, there were circular holes on the roof of the castle where the archers would shoot from, but Hyrule's archers were completely exposed. On a counterattack, a few Kakarikan arrows hit Hylian men. One man fell down, clutching at his chest, and Petar De'Groot lightened his fall, looking in to the fallen soldier's eyes. Petar sneered at the sight of one of his best men dying in his arms, but there was nothing he could do. Instead, he picked up the soldier's bow and shoot a single arrow into the air. The arrow struck a Kakarikan archer down to the ground.

Petar lost his footing after a bomb hit Hyrule Castle's walls just under his feet. The blast made him lose him footing, and he dropped the bow down the base of Hyrule Castle. He struggled to stand up, but a fellow archer helped him. Horror presented itself in front of him as he glanced at what seemed to be Kakariko's entire army advancing on Hyrule's wall: twenty thousand men strong, complete with archers, vanguards, infantrymen, and catapults. They marched as a range of units, separated in to what seemed to be a wavelike advancement.

Sir Petar was tasked with defending the eastern side of Hyrule Castle. He was a favorite of Chancellor Zeal's, because of his maturity and composure, even at such a young age, being younger than even Link. Men seemed to line up to serve - and die - for him. He was that respected in the ranks, and Zeal always did admire that. Like Link, his hair was of a dark blond, but extremely curly, at that. His eye colour was grey which was a rarity among Hylians. With a sigh, Petar knelt beside his fallen soldier and prayed a few words for his safe journey in to an afterlife. Afterwards, he went away from the whizzing arrows to find replacements for the lost men.

A flaming arrow nearly hit him in the head, missing by only a few inches. It was impaled in to the wall behind him, and he ducked for cover. A few men cried out battle cries, and likewise, some men cried out in pain. The gates to Hyrule Castle were open, and Hylian infantrymen ran towards the advancing army. Petar raised his head to watch the battle take place. About eight hundred Hylian soldiers against twenty thousand strong... the carnage took only a few minutes. When the last Hylian soldier fell, Petar grimaced, and his thoughts were interrupted by a bomb collapsing a building in the city. Dust momentarily filled the air, and Petar placed his hand over his eyes to shield himself.

But that's when he had a new idea. Behind them was a bag of bombs. Petar took one of the bombs, attached it to his bow, lit it, and shot it to the distance. Moments later, there was a small blast on a catapult, destroying the machine. A few moments later, several more of the archers began doing the same thing, and the results became more catastrophic for the Kakarikan army.

"Fire!" the archer shouted again. Immediately afterwards, a bomb went off a few feet from him, knocking him against the wall. At that point, the archers appeared slightly less organized, and the arrows came by the attackers irregularly. A few more men hit the ground on either side, and more of the Hylian archers began to miss. Noticing this, Sir Petar patted one of the archers on the back. The man turned around, and received instructions to keep the archer's pace. The archer dutifully nodded, and yelled out 'fire' moments afterwards.

Another archer was hit, this time in the abdomen. The archer gripped at the arrow, and staggered back. With arms outstretched, Petar caught him, and turned to face the infirmary behind them. It was already overflowing, and many people were starting to be treated outside. "I have a child," the archer said, pointing towards a small house in the distance, just inside of Hyrule City. "He's in the third house from the right. Tell him to find his uncle. And that... I love him." His voice was raspy, and he clang to the arrow, as if he clang to his life. At once, he let go with the arrow, and permanently closed him eyes. Gently, he dropped the body.

Petar's squire came from the steps leading to Hyrule Castle's rooftops, with urgency. "Sir Petar!" he called out, running to the knight. "I've urgent news from Impa!" Petar turned around, and nodded to allow the boy to speak. His squire was clearly out of breath. "Impa wants you to watch over the west side of Hyrule Castle, against King Manni. She'll appoint somebody else to watch this side." Sir Petar nodded, and was about to go down the stairs, but stopped abruptly. He turned to face his squire.

"You heard what the dying archer said, did you not?" Flushing a bright red out of embarrassment, the squire nodded. "You know what to do." With that, Petar went down inside of the castle.

Many civilians were crowding the main hallways of Hyrule Castle, seeking refuge from the bombs that were decimating the city. This made it tough for Sir Petar to get to the other side of the castle, as he bumped his way through the crowd, consisting mostly of women and children. Petar eventually made it across the hallway, accessing the military personnel area. He was looking for his post to help command the defense, but Impa found him first. She gave out a sigh, largely out of relief, while giving half of a smile. "Thought I'd have to go dragging you here."

"How's it going?" Petar smiled back.

She shook her head in dismay. "Not that great. We need to pull out some men from the eastern side to here, considering Manni is having much more success. Link Ordon wants to track Manni down in that army by himself, but that's clearly suicidal. Finally, not only is help from Ralis not possible, but Juste Valle's navy is sailing down Greystone River to provide Seto with long range support." She grimaced, taking a deep breath, half expecting another bomb to go off, but nothing happened.

"No," Petar shook his head, "the Kakarikans have at least twenty thousand attacks in the east. That's just as dangerous."

"It's not. Manni has twice that many men on this side of the wall. The worst part is, I still don't have my damn tea!" she stormed away from Petar, leaving him confused. "And for the love of the Goddesses, where the hell is Shad? He should have been back by now!"

* * *

**Shad**

That day, Shad had gone to visit family, in a farm relatively close to Kakariko. They were all alive and well, and he also met Barnes on the way. Together, they traversed back to Hyrule Castle on foot, but the sight of the siege stopped their paths. Bombs kept on going off on the castle, and parts of it were breaking down. Likewise, there were some bombings on the invading forces. He sighed, torn on whether he should attempt to go to Hyrule Castle or not.

Shad waited on the hills of Hyrule Fields, just off of the coast of Greystone River. "The one day I leave Hyrule Castle to visit family," he grumbled. He turned to face his uncle, Barnes, who had become a messenger for Hyrule's military, after the Twilight War. "Is it possible to get in to Hyrule Castle?"

Barnes immediately shook his head, much to Shad's dismay. However, Barnes contemplated the thought slightly more, but arrived at the same conclusion. "No," he finally stated. "I don't know why you would want to go there, considering it's now grounds for war. That, and we'd get caught by Seto before we'll make it." Shad sighed. Barnes understood what Shad's body movements were telling, and nodded. _It's the principle of the matter. I need to help,_ Shad silently implied. "I wish we could help, but it's too dangerous."

"We can help," Shad retorted, "we can always help." He thought of a way to somehow stop the invasion, but nothing came to mind. They'd get killed if they went anywhere near the Kakarikan army, and Zora's Domain was too far on foot, so that was also not an option. Shad placed his hands on his head to prevent crying out in frustration, but he stopped all actions from the sight in front of him. Dozens of Terminian warships were sailing across Greystone River, headed towards Hyrule Castle. They were equipped with dozens of cannons across its sides.

Shad stood up, horrified at the sight in front of him. Those ships must be have been carrying hundreds - if not thousands of men, and many more cannons and bombs to aid in the siege. Al the while, it proudly waved the turtle as its flag, signifying that it was Juste's fleet. As the ships sailed past him, he stood up, following them. Barnes also stood up from the hill, and followed Shad down the river. Realizing the full strength of the navy, Shad stopped in place. He sighed, and rubbed his head in frustration. After a few seconds, a smile rose from his face, and Shad stared at his uncle. "You made bombs, yes?" Barnes nodded, and caught his breath.

"Why?" Barnes asked. He gave a suspicious glare towards his nephew, thinking that Hyrule Castle's treasurer might have an idea after all.

"We can help Queen Zelda," Shad triumphantly stated. He walked away from Barnes, and towards Juste Valle's navy. In confusion, Barnes followed Shad. "Tonight... we're going to make the biggest explosion Hyrule has ever seen!"

* * *

**Link Ordon**

Link did no fighting up to this point. He was simply inspecting Hyrule Castle's defenses, to make sure they were up to par. At the same time, he kept a constant alert for Bruno, who was lurking in the castle, somewhere. Presently, Link was in the eastern side of the castle, in a hallway, which was the first direction Bruno ran off in. He checked each storage room one by one, but all of them came up empty. Finally, he stopped at another storage room, but it was slightly open, unlike the other ones. Cautiously, he drew out a dagger and opened the door, waving it around as he entered the room. Not a single thing stirred. Then, in a corner in the windowless room, there was a barrel that a grown man could easily fit inside of it, and what appeared to be hissing sounds came from it.

"Prepare to die," Link announced, drawing his sword towards the barrel. He lifted the lid, expecting Bruno inside, but nothing... but the hissing noise continued. Curious, he peeked his head in to the barrel only to see a bomb was lit inside. He immediately drew his head back, and ran from the room. By the time he was about a foot from the door, the barrel blasted open as the force knocked Link outside of the room. There was a scratch on his right cheek, and it bled slightly, but he paid no attention to it. He rubbed the blood off, and prepared to check another room, until he saw a messenger running through the halls. The messenger stopped when he saw Link. "May I help you?"

"Queen Zelda wants to tell you that she will find the traitor and wants you to help in the battle," the messenger said. Link did notice that it was a boy, about fourteen, standing comically short. The messenger had black hair and brown eyes... and would not stop staring at Link's wound, where blood seeped out of his cheek. Link became annoyed, and loudly coughed, bringing back the boy's attention. "I need a response, sir."

"Tell her," Link immediately began, but paused as he caught the boy once again staring at the open wound. The hero sighed, and covered up the wound with his hand. "Tell her that Bruno is planting bombs inside of Hyrule Castle. I even found one in a storage room." The messenger obediently nodded and ran off the direction in which he came from. Link wiped off some of blood, and headed upstairs to see how the Hylian army was doing against King Seto's men. Countless archers were on the roof, firing arrows from above. Down on the ground, the walls helped to blockade the invader's progress, but that may not hold long. Within a few moments, their army brought a battering ram on the doorway, which had been locked up. Link grimaced as he saw Hylian men slaughtered, one by one.

Unbeknownst to Link, the invaders placed ladders, from ground to roof, on the other side of the wall. Link turned his head, only to see a few men having climbed it, and attacked the archers on the roof. Many of the archers did not have any weapons on them, so they would try to back up and fire, but the enemies ran towards them, stabbing and slicing every Hylian man they could. Many of the Hylian archers retreated to Hyrule Castle's complex interior, and some Kakarikan men dared to follow. Two, however, stayed behind after noticing Link, who appeared unarmed. They grinned, and approached him from either sides. "Two against one," Link announced to them as they circled around him. "That's not fair." The duo shrugged; honour was unimportant. They were surprised, however, when Link dropped his dagger, sword, and shield to the ground, and cracked his knuckles. "Now it's fair."

"You've got a big mouth," one of them retorted, in a deep, gruff voice. "I reckon we'll have to fix that."

The other soldier swung a two-handed sword at Link, narrowly missing Link's head. While he took time to recover, Link quickly kicked the man, hoping that the armor was weak enough to make the man feel the impact. However, the guard seemed unmoved, and the armor was produced as high iron. Link backed away, turning to face the second man. Unlike the first man, the second man held two daggers, made of pure iron. He swung them at Link in rapid succession, forcing the hero to back away, and into plain sight of the Kakarikan army. The soldier jabbed the dagger forward, and it narrowly missed as Link sidestepped, with his back to his dropped weapons.

After a few more attacks, Link began to see a predictable pattern, and waited for the Kakarikan soldier to jab his dagger forward, and that allowed Link to respond with a swift kick at the man's chest. Despite the strong armor, the kick left him breathless, and the Kakarikan soldier clutched at his chest. Link prepared to knock him to the ground, but from the corner of his eye he saw the first soldier stand up again. The soldier charged at Link with the massive sword held high, and nearly nicked Link's shoulder, but the sword was slightly too short. Link glanced back at his fallen weapons, and back to the two soldiers, who walked towards him, with menacing glares. In one quick burst, he rushed to his weapons, and dived for his sword. Just as he sprinted, another bomb hit Hyrule Castle, and knocked Link off balance. The soldiers stomped him to the ground, and kept their weapons pointed at him. "Stand," one of them commanded.

Link placed his hands behind his head and stood up slowly. "He'll be worth quite a bit to King Juste alive," the other one said. "Or perhaps we'll sell his body parts to Zelda," he sadistically smiled. He lowered his sword slightly. "Cut each of your body parts, on by one," he said, and placed the sword on Link's shoulder, "perhaps we'll start with your shoulder."

"Perhaps you shouldn't," a voice called out. The three of them looked towards the staircase, where Impa was standing. She carried a katana in her hands, and glared at the two of them.

"Not another step," one of them threatened, putting a dagger right next to Link's neck. As much as Link tried to resist, he could not move, and stared at Impa for help. The soldier's eyes dared Impa to come closer, but she remained stationary. The soldiers smiled triumphantly. "We'll be leaving," one Kakarikan smiled. Immediately, his smile turned in to a face of shock, and he lost his grip of the dagger. The soldier fell to the ground, revealing an arrow to his back. A moment later, the other soldier also fell.

Impa smiled in relief that Link was okay. "Good work," she called out to the archer in the shadows, on the other side of the roof. She couldn't see much, but she could tell was that the archer lowered his Hylian cap in honor. She then approached Link, and tapped him on the shoulder. His eyes appeared to be crossed, and he seemed rather disoriented and pale. Immediately, he fell down, motionless. Impa let out a small gasp, and knelt next to him. She checked for wounds all over his body, but stopped when she saw blood on her hand... but she wasn't the one bleeding. She felt his shoulder again, and it seemed softed than what it should be. Impa removed part of Link's clothing - enough to have a look at his shoulders - and noticed multiple stab wounds, with blood seeping out of his body alarmingly fast. She grabbed on the wound with Link's clothing in an attempt to cover the wounds, and quickly picked Link up, running to Hyrule Castle's infirmary.

* * *

**Impa, Royal Guardian of Queen Zelda Harkinan**

The infirmary was so crowded that they started placing patients outside of the small building in Hyrule Castle's barracks. Fortunately for Link, Impa's clearance gave him a room within the infirmary. She continued to carry him to his bed, and Impa became mildly horrified by the sights she saw. Of those surviving battles, many had wounds cutting up their entire stomachs. Those that survived bombs that hit Hyrule Castle had missing limbs. Blood and gore did not horrify Impa in the slightest, considering she was trained to protect Zelda by killing absolutely anybody who posed some kind of threat to the Queen. However, blood and gore on such a large scale did scare her.

She gently laid him on a bed, and a doctor came within a minute to perform on Link. "I kindly ask of you to leave me to my practice," the doctor politely told Impa. Of course, she could have refused him (and should have, considering she was to guard him at all costs), but her mind was hazed with grounded fear. Fear for Link's life. Fear for these dying people. Fear for Hyrule Castle. She was on the verge of tears, but nodded, and stood just outside of Link's room. Eventually, news of Link's injuries had spread through the castle, and Zelda also came to see Link. She too was on the verge of tears.

"Bring me some milk and two veils silkis syrup," Zelda told Impa, "I've a headache." Impa nodded without saying anything, and turned to leave the infirmary, but Zelda spoke again. "And bring me Link's weapons." The last order hurt Impa, and she was sure that it hurt Zelda to say that as well. As was the case with all true warriors, they are buried with their weapons over them. Yet they both knew - or hoped, rather - that Link could cling on to life. He had so much to live for. Impa hurried out of the infirmary, and traveled to Hyrule Castle's kitchen. There were two veils clearly labelled 'silkis syrup'. Silkis syrup was a special (and expensive) extract from native bushes grown in Papuchia. They act as a tasteless painkiller, that can be added to drinks. She stuffed two veils of the syrup in to her suit, and brought a glass of milk to her.

Queen Zelda stared idly at Link. Halfway through the hallway leading to their room, Impa stopped and watched Queen Zelda without her knowing, almost like a shadow. Zelda's facial expression told a whole story, and it struck Impa deep. _Don't die on me_, she imagined that that was what Zelda was thinking. _I love you. Damn it, don't die on me..._

Impa took a step forward, and Zelda tilted her head, and welcomed Impa to Link's room. Link was extraordinarily pale, and the bandages they used to cover up Link's shoulder were stained in red. The boy did not move, and his breathing was faint. Impa decided not to look at Link any longer, and placed the glass of milk on a nearby table. Next, she placed the two veils of silkis milk next to it. "One drop will stop a headache," Impa reminded her Queen. "Four drops will put you in to a deep sleep. Nine drops will-"

Queen Zelda glared at her. "I know what nine drops do."

"Why do you have two?" Impa asked, suddenly becoming suspicious of Zelda's orders. However, she immediately corrected herself by speaking before Zelda could respond. "Just remember to have servings with at least three hour intervals. I'll bring Link's weapons." With a polite bow, Impa immediately left, leaving Zelda and Link alone. Of course, there was a doctor in the immediate area, and several dozen on the first floor, where normal soldiers were being treated.

Many say that nine drops of silkis syrup is the most peaceful and painless way to end a person's life. She contemplated opening it and swallowing an entire veil's worth of syrup, which contained eleven drops. She checked for signs of life on Link. He was still breathing, and still alive. So long as he was alive, she would also remain alive.

Because of the many perils that Link went through to save Zelda, and keep her safe, she vowed to always keep him safe. Link was willing to die for her, and almost did multiple times, but persevered to see her once more. "I am yours," were the words Link said to her before they kissed for the first time. "And you are mine," he said with a smile. She wanted to return the same sense of love. Yet she did little except send Link all over Hyrule on pointless quests. Now he truly did pay the price, and it was because of her. It was all because of her... he gave his soul for her, and this was her fault. She did not follow her vows to keep him safe, so she should be giving her soul for him. That way, they can live together in an afterlife, where she would be given a true second chance to correct their relationship.

She sobbed at the foot of Link's bed, and placed the veil back on the table without having any of its contents. A few moments later, Impa returned with a sword, shield, and dagger. Impa silently placed them on the table, and gave a quick glance at Zelda. The Queen clutched at the silkis syrup to the point that the veil may have broken, but it did not do so. Silently, Impa excused herself and walked away. That moment, she walked ever so slightly quicker. There was nobody in the known world more noble than Link. Yet his enemies could not let him die a hero. Ever moment, she walked faster. _I'll kill them all._

_I'll kill them all..._

_I'll kill them all..._

* * *

**Ralis Arias**

The night was long for Ralis. He swore to protect Queen Zelda after the battle for Death Mountain. Yet his entire army was trapped in Zora's Domain by the enemy. Many of them were archers who were perched on hills, and shot any Zora they saw. Obviously, their main intention was not to attack the Zoras, but contain them, in order to prevent any intrusions during the siege on Hyrule Castle. Prince Ralis found this rather promising. This most likely meant that there are not as many Kakarikans blocking Zora's Domain as he originally thought there were, otherwise they would have attacked in to the cave.

Many bodies of the Zoras were scattered across the northern parts Hyrule Fields. It was difficult to attack the hills, considering that the Zoras only used spears, and no ranged weapons. Prince Ralis gave up on attacking the hills a while ago, and contemplated calling off their entire army. Perhaps Queen Zelda could not be helped. Perhaps he should take his chances that the Kings will leave him alone after they take Hyrule Castle. Perhaps they would call for peace with him if he did not resist their blockade. Yet he made a promise to Zelda, and it is a law among the Zoras to always uphold their promises. What would it look like if Ralis, their King, could not hold his promises?

Despite his promise, Ralis recalled all of his soldiers back inside, deep in Zora's Domain. He decided to wait the night out, in hopes that the Kakarikans do not have enough supplies to stay perched on the hills. Prince Ralis sighed, and dipped his feet in to the river once again. The water was significantly colder than when the war started, but the weather, on average, was still fairly warm. Tito, his grandmother, appeared next to him, with a content look on her face. "Are you just going to sit here?"

Prince Ralis shrugged, not knowing what to do. He was often a quiet boy, despite a strong command on his language. Yet now, he had no words. "So many of my men died. Men I've sworn to protect." Prince Ralis kept glancing at the water. "Mother would have known what to do."

Tito's expression became much more serious. She gave a stern glare at Prince Ralis for mentioning his mother, who was also her daughter-in-law, or _Malin, _as the word was typically said in native Zoran languages. Indeed, most Zoras in Hyrule were not native, and colonized the north some time recently. They spoke fluent Hylian, but many of them spoke New Zoran, which was the Hylian Zora's personal interpretation on the language. At first, many of the Hylian Zoras simply butchered words of the universal Zoran language because of their accent, but words were also created, and they entitled it New Zoran, feeling that the language changed dramatically from what it once was.

Tito was Prince Ralis' grandmother, on his father's side. His father, like many Zorans, died during the Conquest of Hyrule, led by King Manni many years ago. "Mother gave her life to keep you safe. So did your father." Tito yawned slightly. "They knew that you were worth saving. They saw promise, and a great leader in you." Prince Ralis idly stared at her, as she gave a smile. "We are Zoras. We swim in the water. We learn in the water."

"And we fight in the water," Ralis interrupted her. Tito immediately gave a nod. He stood up, removing his feet from the water. "We were born in the water. We hunt in the water. And we fight in the water." Tito smiled, and watched as many Zoran soldiers gathered around Prince Ralis. "We'll not attack by land, my friends! We are the masters of the sea! We shall swim deep in the rivers, and remove the blockade from behind!" Hundreds of roars of approvals went up simultaneously. An seemingly endless wave of men rushed in to the river, led by Prince Ralis. Thousands followed behind him, their spears pointed forwards. After the stampede was done, Tito was left by herself. She contently stood up, and walked away from the river. There, inside of the cave, Somra waited on a rock. Upon seeing Tito walk away, she got up to walk alongside her.

"Aren't you worried?" Somra asked. Tito raised an eyebrow, confused by the question. Somra cleared her throat, and began to speak again. "Aren't you worried about Prince Ralis' safety?"

Tito sighed, and turned to face Prince Ralis' future bride. "Men are attracted to death. Humans, Zoras, or Gorons, it doesn't matter. They don't fear death, but crave it. As a mother, or in my case, grandmother, you can't do anything except hope that they'll return."

"Will he return?" Somra asked.

Tito shrugged. "I pray that he stays safe. That's all I can do."

"You gave him the idea of attacking from the water," Somra replied, "that's something, isn't it?" Tito remained quiet, and walked slightly faster. Despite her young and petite demeanor, Somra had a tough time keeping up with the gargantuan of a Zoran woman. "I'd like an answer, if you may."

Tito turned around and her eye teared up ever so slightly. "This what he wants. As I watch him grow up, I know what he wants. Ralis wants glory. He wants honor " She sighed. "But above all, he wants to keep his promises. I gave him the idea. He went."

"You're his grandmother. He looks for your advice. When you give it, you know just as well as I that he will follow it unconditionally." Somra sighed. When Tito turned around to glare at Prince Ralis' future wife, Somra became a lighter blue, purely out of fear. That, however, did not stop Somra from pressing on. "I don't know what I'm trying to get at, to be honest."

"I do," Tito retorted. "I know exactly what you're trying to get at. You're accusing me of attempting to murder my own grandson, which is preposterous. As I said before, he's still the ruler, regardless of my opinions." Tito sighed, and sat down once again. "I do what I do for the good of our people. I would sacrifice myself if it meant that every other Zora could be safe. Ralis would also do the same, if given the chance," Tito said, forcing a weak smile. "And he's given that opportunity. Of course, he may survive-"

"You're willing to let your own grandson die?" Tito remained unmoved by Somra's sudden outburst. Slowly, the elderly Zora nodded. Somra sneered, "you'd let him die for the good of all Zoras? What good would his death do?"

"Without Ralis, Queen Zelda will lose the kingdom. With Ralis, she has a fighting chance, however small, of crushing her enemies. We have to help her crush Manni, Seto, and Juste, or else peace may no longer exist. Peace has a price, and some may have to pay the price for others to enjoy the benefits.

Somra sighed, and stood up to Tito. She stared the elder Zora in the eyes, but surprisingly, her expression was more curious than angry. Of course, the tone of her voice differed. "Why can we not stay out of the damn thing?"

"You saw what happened to the Gorons! They didn't want the war either, but that didn't stop bloodshed from knocking on their doorstep!" Tito and Somra exchanged glances, before Somra stomped out of the cave.

* * *

**Impa, Royal Guardian of Queen Zelda Harkinan**

After a few lucky shots by Manni's catapults, Hyrule City's clock tower went down. With it, the bell stopped chiming. Impa could only glare at the rubble and debris created by the destruction. The streets of Hyrule were practically empty, save for one or two people attempting to dig through the rubble, hoping to find loved ones. For the most part, Hyrule Castle also held together fairly well. The walls were close to shattering, but the main building was just too strong to be taken down. At least, that was what she was taught.

Now she wasn't so sure whether Hyrule Castle could survive the night of bombings. It was quite difficult to assign men to either side, and the area was not fortified properly for siege. _Bruno must have done a damn good job of giving Seto information on how Hyrule Castle's army works_, Impa thought sullenly to herself. Just then, another bomb went off, but inside of Hyrule Castle. It was planted just ahead of her, and smoke poured out of the hallway. A few bodies scattered the floor. Beyond that point, a cloaked figure turned one last time to see his work, and abruptly left. Impa cracked her knuckles, and gave chase to the cloaked figure. Past the hallway, he turned around once more, only to see Impa running straight at him.

The cloaked figure made a quick dash across the hallway, but Impa kept up. Eventually, the figure turned a corner, and closed one of the doors abruptly. Impa turned that same corner, only to have a seemingly endless sea of doors appear in front of her. The first one - locked. The second one - locked. Most likely, all of them were locked. That meant that the one that was open was the one the figure was hiding in.

Despite her training in such situations, she was filled with anxiety. No matter how much she wanted not to, she felt her fingers grip the blade, and she did not let go. Eventually, as Impa walked through the hallway, her anxiety increased. Who was the figure? Was it Bruno? If not, then why would he run? One door was open ever so slightly. She slid the dagger out of its socket, and held it forward. With a single motion, she kicked the door aside. The room was completely empty. Step by step, she forced herself to step inside of the room. She could feel eyes watching her. Her grip on the dagger tensed, and she swung it slightly. Eventually, she convinced herself that he was not in the room.

She breathed a sigh of relief. Impa immediately turned around to leave, but something stopped her. With a sudden scream, the figure thrust a spear at her head, narrowly missing. She ducked and backed away, bringing her dagger out. Once again, the figure charged at her. His spear left a dent in the wall, and immediately received a kick from Impa. The figure clutched at his stomach from the loss of air, and backed away. Impa was merciless, however, and kicked aside his spear. Despite his resistance, Impa managed to tackle him into the ground. With a single stroke, she removed the hood off of his cloak.

It was Bruno. Impa gave him a sneer, and he attempted to spit in her face. "Boy, you have no idea of your future."

"I understand it, and I don't care. My family has the money, so my job is done," he scoffed, "kill me." Impa slowly got up, and shook her head.

"You don't deserve death. For the trouble you've caused, I have a much worse fate for you. Now stand up, boy, before I chop off your arms and legs and carry you myself." She forcefully brought him up to the ground, and did so rather roughly. His dagger remained on the ground, and her's was pointed at him. "Walk." Bruno did as he instructed, placing his hands over his head. She smiled, in a sadistic sense. "Deep within Hyrule Castle's dungeons, there's somebody I want you to meet."

Bruno turned his head - but only for a moment. For that moment, she saw a smile develop on his face. "I look forward to it."

The walk through the empty spaces in Hyrule Castle was quite nerve-wracking, to be honest. However, Bruno kept his cool and restrained his anxiety. _What does she mean by friend?_ Bruno thought. The tone of her voice - the regular professionalism in her voice was replaced with a lust for revenge. She wanted to see him suffer. If Impa feels that 'her friend' is a stronger punishment than death, then he had nothing to lose. The decision was hasty, but to be fair, he _did_ lack choice.

The sudden elbow to her face had caught Impa off guard. Impa staggered ever so slightly, and attempted to gain focus once again. In the meanwhile, Bruno made a dash towards his dropped dagger, but Zelda's Royal Guard kicked him against the wall. He responded with a kick of his own, which was caught midair by Impa's hands, and Bruno fell over. He shifted himself backwards and got up at the same time. She struck at him with her dagger, but narrowly missed his neck.

"I normally don't hurt women," Bruno said as he backed away, "but you'll be an exception." He charged at her at full force, and kicked her right in the stomach. She staggered back, but did not fall. He continued to kick at her, keeping a safe distance at the same time. Eventually, he knocked her against the wall. In response, she tightened the grip on her dagger, and immediately slashed at him with it, creating a small and shallow wound on his chest. In pain, Bruno fell back a few steps, and looked back up to Impa. He moved backwards, and took a deep breath. Yet every time he breathed in, his chest pained him from doing so. He contemplated running, but she was evidently faster than him. Instead, he brought his fists up, ready to fight.

Impa was also evidently tired, if not hesitant, based on the way that she waited for Bruno to move. Instinctively, Bruno took this as an opportunity to charge at her. She held her knife up, prepared to strike at him, but Bruno slid outside of her reach. Instead, he picked up his own dagger from the floor, and held it towards her. She swung. He blocked. The sound of metal clashing against metal was deafening, but it did not stop. However, with a final thrust, she created another wound going across his chest, only this time, it was slightly deeper. Blood oozed out of the second wound, and Bruno fell to the ground, losing his grip on the sword.

Impa smiled triumphantly. Admittedly, she let her feelings get in the way of her professionalism, but at that point, he was a high value target. She managed to lift his unconscious body, and carried it to Hyrule Castle's dungeons. There, he would come to know suffering like none other. Grevius Sorell would undoubtedly teach that to him.

* * *

**Shad**

After some more running, Shad managed to outpace the ships by quite a bit. Of course, running on the hilly landscapes next to a river was no easy task. However, he made it. Yet his trouble had only started. After a moment, Barnes managed to keep up, but nearly collapsed from the distance. After a few more moments, Barnes fell to his knees, wheezing, and clutching at the grass. Shad couldn't help but smile, and helped his uncle up. Clearly, the years were against Barnes' favour. Nevertheless, he watched the ships in the distance, looming, in the far darkness. They posed a threat, and it was Shad's duty to remove any threat to Hyrule Castle. Thus, he gripped at his uncle from the man's left hand, and pulled him up.

"Can you make a bomb?" Shad asked, with a twinkle of hopefulness in his eyes.

Barnes was thinking of a way to word it nicely, but the message was already clear, based on Shad's facial expression. "Depends... what do we have with us?" Shad shrugged, and emptied his pockets. Inside of his left pocket was a flint and steel, and the other one had a small bottle of water. Barnes quickly glanced at the items. "No," he said, shaking his head. "That won't help us in making a bomb." Shad was about to cry out in frustration, but Barnes smiled. "But it can start a fire."

Shad looked up once again, and his eyes widened. He took a quick gulp, and forced a smile. "Perhaps that could work." He nudged his head towards the other side of the river, where a rather long yet narrow rock pointed upwards at the sky. "Do you have the chains?"Shad asked, constantly monitoring how far away Juste's navy was. Barnes nodded, and held out a rather long piece of chain they had found just off of the river a few moments ago. Another boat likely passed through Greystone River, and dropped the chains halfway through their trip.

Nevertheless, the chains were made of a rather hard steel that extended far beyond the width of Greystone River - and were rather lightweight. Shad removed his shirt, and took one end of the chains from his uncle. Although initially hesitant, Shad found the courage to start swimming the river. The current was strong, and the water was close to freezing, but little stopped him. That did not stop Barnes from worrying, however. After a few moments, Shad's head could no longer be seen, and Barnes became horrified upon seeing his nephew begin to sink. Barnes prepared to rescue his nephew, but Shad once again emerged, keeping his grip on the chains all the while.

After the trip was finally complete, Shad tied the chain around the narrow lock, and tested to make sure it could hold. After some more testing, he gave Barnes a thumbs up, and Barnes wrapped the remaining chains along a nearby tree. Of course, there was still enough slack in the chains for it to remain underwater when it ran through the width of Greystone River. Yet, it was invisible to the incoming warships. Barnes nodded, and waited as the ships came before them. Obviously, nobody on deck noticed Barnes nor Shad from a distance, or else they may have been fired upon. The ships were about to pass. Right before they did, Barnes tightened his side of the chains, causing it to be appear above the water. Some of the ships began to slow down upon seeing the metal chain that stopped their progress. Taking this as an opportunity, Barnes lit a leaf on fire, and placed it inside of the bottle. The corkscrew completely closed the bottle, and he could feel the pressure building inside of the bottle. The bottle was placed a slingshot, and he aimed for a window of the closest ship.

Barnes closed on of his eyes to properly focus on the shot, and the slingshot began to feel shaky from the bottle. With a sudden jerk, the bottle went flying, and barely went inside the window. A few moments later, a few deck members went upstairs to see what the chains were for, and saw Barnes. They started yelling at him, and he just smiled in response. Frustrated, one of them manned the cannons, and progressively aimed at him. However, he did not flinch the slightest. Before the cannon could be loaded, that ship burst into a brilliant flame, and the fires almost instantly decimated everything on board. That ship began to sink, and many of the soldiers had caught on fire.

The air was filled with screams of pain. However, before the rest of the crew could realize what was happening, the second ship caught on fire. Almost immediately afterwards, the third one also caught on fire. Within the matter of a few moments, Juste's entire navy was wiped out, and the remains of his power rested at the bottom of the river. Shad was crying out in excitement and victory, and Barnes also afforded a quick smile. No soldier ran out of the river to attack them. Some bodies rested at the bottom of the river, while others were carried from the current.

* * *

**Juste Valle**

King Juste, and his wife, Yul, had their own convoy just outside of Hyrule Castle. They had a carriage, and were covered on all sides by a thick velvet blanket. Several horsemen were on each side of them, escorting them just outside of Hyrule Castle. Inside of the carriage, Juste and Yul had to grip their seats every time a bomb went off in fear of being flung away, out of the carriage. The decision to bring Brandon was an easy one, in retrospect. Soon, in the future, Harra would be commanding Koholint's armies, Brandon would be in charge of Termina, and Seto... would probably create his own grave, soon enough. They would split Hyrule in to three separate parts, and an international triangle would ensue.

After Hyrule Castle falls, all Kakariko, Termina, and Koholint would have equal land and power. This would result in peace, for if one attacked another, the third nation would help the victim. This could not have been possible if Harra did not marry Manni's niece. Admittedly, Juste was often tough on his oldest son, but as a young child, Harra really did appear promising. However, he had difficulty with most things, and Termina's citizens would lose respect for his family if somebody like Harra was crowned as the heir. As a result, he was forced to give it to Brandon, who did not have trouble with such menial things, such as riding a horse, or reading.

Juste sighed; the world seemed to be falling against him. He was on the winning side, and so close to conquering Hyrule Castle, but there was so much wrong. As time goes by, his relations with his brother were becoming worse and worse, and Harra was becoming more and more disobedient. It was only a matter of time until the boy did something dangerously stupid. He looked again at Yul, who was patiently eating grapes while they waited. "Something isn't quite right."

She gave a nervous smile. Slowly, Yul shook her head. "There's always something wrong," she smiled at him. "The problem is that you worry too much." Her statement led Juste into a state of thinking, which abruptly ended when she kissed him on the cheek. "Everything is going perfectly. We managed to create peace between ourselves and Koholint. Seto's too stupid to fight us. And Zelda can't do anything either."

"You shouldn't be saying these things about Seto," Juste responded, in an ordinarily monotone voice. However, to Yul's surprise, a sly smile spread on his face as he continued. "Even if it is true." Yul gave a quite chuckle.

"You... are a king. Whatever you need to do..."

Juste nodded in agreement. "I am a king. Whatever I need to do..."

Yul smiled once again. "That's better. Now get rid of this 'we're not safe' attitude. We're fine." Yul kissed him, this time on the lips. "We're safe. We're happy. That's all that matters."

Their thoughts were interrupted when the carriage was brought to a sudden halt. Juste's eyes darted out of the velvet cloak, curious as to why they've stopped. After a few moments, a Kakarikan general came to greet them. He gave a polite bow, and escorted them just outside of the carriage. "This is as far as we're instructed to bring you. Any closer and you'd be at risk." Hyrule Castle was clearly visible in the distance. The western side was close to being completely torn down, being held together by only a few more towers.

"We'd prefer to stay in our carriage, if you may," Juste replied. "Bring us to King Seto." The general nodded. Juste and Yul once again entered the carriage, as it continued to move. The rest of their journey was short-lived. It came in an instant. In front of their carriage, the two could clearly see a bright light, followed by the carriage doing several rotations backwards. A Hylian attached a bomb to their arrow, and struck it remarkably close to the carriage. The carriage tipped over several times, and the couple were being thrown inside.

Once the carriage stopped, Juste opened his eyes once more. He was outside of the carriage, and it had been flipped over completely. He tried standing up, but there was a blinding pain in his knee. Clearly, a bone was broken. He was fortunate, however, since there were no open wounds to be found. The outside of the carriage had many intricate linings to symbolize Juste's wealth, but those linings were also sharp enough to easily cut skin. Despite the pain, Juste found the strength to stand up. Although walking hurt even more, he managed to limp a few steps, before falling to the ground. He clutched at the grass. Immediately, he shifted his attention to his wife, Yul, who was also on the ground, but did not show a single sign of moving.

He limped towards her, and lifted her face. A wound was across Yul's forehead, and she did not respond. He did feel a heartbeat that was steady, however, it was also faint. He picked her up, and limped towards the closest group of soldiers. He couldn't help but look down again. She was dying, and he can't save her. However, that did not stop him from limping. The soldiers took notice of him, and hastily helped the two of them with what little medical equipment they had.

One soldier attempted to bandage Juste's legs, but the king waved him off. "Help _her_!" Juste wanted to scream. To cry. However, he had a responsibility to stay strong. All of the soldiers did not pay attention to his leg, but instead were trying to keep Yul alive. A single tear left Juste's eye, but it was immediately wiped away. "Will she live?"

One soldier, who seemed to double as a doctor based on his expertise, shrugged. "Perhaps she will. Worst case scenario is that she dies. The best case scenario..." Juste quietly waited for the answer. _Will she be fine_? "Best case scenario is that she will be in a permanent coma. She's gone through a serious blow to the head." The doctor removed his cap in respect. "If she doesn't die, then she's lucky - this sort typically leaves anybody dead."

* * *

**Zelda Harkinan**

"I love you, Link," Zelda weakly smiled, rubbing her hand against Link's cheek. "I've always loved you." She sighed, and watched his heartbeat. Zelda glanced to check at the time, but could not stop looking at the silkis syrup right afterwards. Instantly, Zelda broke down in to tears. _You've always watched over me as I went to parties anywhere. _"You were scared of letting me go, remember?" she smiled, gripping his hand. "You were scared that some brave prince from another kingdom will steal my heart. Do you remember?"

There was no doubt in Zelda's mind that Link remembered. He remembered everything about her. "I love you," she repeated. It was the first time she actually said it out loud. Every day, Zelda patiently waited for the day that Link said it back. That was going to be the same day that he proposed to her.

Ever since she first laid eyes on Link, she knew that there was something special about the boy. He would do anything for her - and soon, she would do anything for him. They were going to be married, no matter what Zelda's father had said. At that moment, Zelda confessed her sins - her actions, which she did to keep her and Link together. Her crimes would shock anybody, but she kept them to a whisper. Only Link could hear them. "This is all my fault," she sobbed, staring at his face. There was no response.

"Perhaps... perhaps all of this is the price I pay for my sins," she said, quietly. There was little quiet, from the bombs that shook the castle. Each time a new one detonated, it felt more violent than the last one. "I love you."

Perhaps it was the heat in the room, but for a moment - just a moment - Zelda could have sworn that she felt Link's grip on her hand tighten. After a moment, his eyes opened for the first time since he entered the room. He smiled lazily at her. She rejoiced.

"You're alive!"

"It'll take more to kill me than a wound." Instantly, in her joy, she hugged him.

"Ow!" Link yelped as she rested her arm over his wounded shoulder. Zelda immediately withdrew that arm. After a moment of the pain subsidizing, he smiled at her again. "So, what did I miss?" Zelda lowered her head to conceal tiny amounts of laughter.

"Half of the castle is destroyed. You missed that," she jokingly said, smiling.

Link nodded, and helped himself up off of the bed. He clearly had no troubles getting up, so that was pleasing to see for Zelda. However, the wound still seemed bad - although Link did not mind. He stretched his arms out, and yawned. She expected him to approach her, begging for a kiss. Perhaps a hug. Instead, he walked over to where his weapons were. One by one, he strapped them on himself, and prepared to set out the door. "What are you doing?"

Link shrugged. "Half of the castle is destroyed. I'm going to save the other half."

"But you're injured!" Zelda protested.

"I've lost my home. I've lost my parents. I'm not losing you," Link stated. "I'll do whatever I can to keep you safe."

She embraced him once more, taking note not to touch him on the wound. "You're not going. I won't let you." Link's expression was quizzical, but Zelda remained resolute. "You're going with me to the throne room." Link nodded, and left first. From the table, Zelda grabbed the two veils of silkis syrup, and stuffed them in her dress. She caught up to him, and acted nonchalant.

* * *

Zelda sat on her throne. The entire room was empty, save for her and Link. He stood beside her, and kept a smile. She smiled back. "Tell me a story," Zelda commanded. "Anything. Anything at all."

Link quickly brainstormed the stories he had heard of as a child. He immediately smiled. "There was a forest. In this forest, there were many animals, big or small. There were deer, monkeys, bears - anything you can think of. And four animals wanted to be the leader of the forest: there was the snake. Nobody liked the snake:"

_There was the turtle. The turtle was slow. He was also steady and consistent. Some liked him because he was honorable._

Juste was on the verge of tears at that point. He gripped his wife's hand, and sobbed quietly. He just kept staring at her. Yul's eyes were closed, and her face had bloodstains. The doctor was hard at work at bandaging and assessing her health. "She will definitely live," the doctor finally told Juste. Tears started to flow down the king's face as he jumped up, hugging the doctor in joy. Although he found it rather awkward, he did hug the king back. However, he moved back, and gripped Juste's shoulders, with a stern expression. "Her life comes with a price. She's in an indefinite coma at the moment."

_One downside of the turtle was that he was too slow. As a result, he attracted danger. Worse, his brothers actively sought danger as well._

Rusl's body flowed down Greystone River. The ships were in ruins, and most of the men perished in the fire.

_There was the crow. Everybody already knows that fellow crows compete with each other. Two of the four leaders were crows. The younger crow was the one that everybody loved. _

Link continued with his story, and it put a smile on Zelda's face. She appeared to enjoy the story, so Link continued. "That crow was smart, kind, and beautiful. Every other animal in the forest marveled at her. Some became jealous, such as the other crow." Without Link knowing, Zelda's grip on the veil holding the silkus syrup tightened.

_The fighting between these animals made other animals quite mad. In fact, some had to be dragged into the constant fighting! Others put themselves in it, and paid the price. They paid the price for hurting other animals in their pursuit for power._

Impa dragged Bruno down into Hyrule Castle's darkest dungeons. He had an undeniable face full of fear, which, perversely, filled Impa with a sadistic form of happiness. "Grevius, I have a present for you," Impa announced to the darkness. Instantly, a hunchback figure came from one of the cellars, and eyed Bruno, who tried to avoid eye contact. A smile started to spread on Grevius' face.

"I'll take good care of him, don't you worry," he said, smiling. Bruno gulped.

"I'm sure you will." With that, Impa left. Alone.

_But no matter what, the true leader was the youngest crow. After all the fighting is over, every animal in the forest will bow before the crow... for the crow represents freedom in her majestic flight. With the crow in charge, the forest soared to new heights. It wouldn't have been long... but the other animals realized that their true leader was the winged beast._

Zelda couldn't help but laugh at the corniness by the end. "Alright, stop, that was excellent," she said. Link obeyed. Zelda gave a nervous sigh, and presented the silkus syrup veils. She once again eyed at the front of the throne room. "I don't want to see myself get captured. If Seto, Manni, or Juste walks through that door within the next few moments, feed me a full veil."

An expression of horror appeared to arise from Link's face. "Zelda... you know what it does."

"Please, do this for me." Her eyes showed a mix of grounded fear and want. However, there was absolutely no uncertainty in her expression. Link sighed, and sat upright, against the wall.

"I'll do it for myself," Link said, looking at her. "And you do it for yourself." Zelda gave a weak smile, and nodded. Slowly, Link took one of the veils. He and Zelda took off the caps for their veils, and held it close to their mouths. The sounds of war were heading closer to the throne room, and eventually, footsteps became audible. Zelda watched, curious to see who managed to take Hyrule Castle before she died. The footsteps were almost there.

A single figure appeared. It wore only armour, and carried a spear. By the looks of it, that figure was the leader of the group, as a dozen more armored figures came in to the throne room behind him. Slowly, the figure took off his helmet. Once it was fully off, Zelda gasped, and they both dropped the veils on the ground in shock.

"The battle is over," Prince Ralis stated triumphantly in audience of Queen Zelda. "And we have won!" Link and Zelda hugged each other in joy as Prince Ralis smiled at his victory - their victory.

* * *

**END CHAPTER**

**Words: 10,936**

* * *

Author's Notes:

Wow, that was quite a long chapter. The first one over 10,000 words! Yeah, a lot happened in this chapter, and as I promised, plenty of action, plus the regular drama that is expected per chapter.

Essentially, Prince Ralis managed to get through the blockade made just outside of Zora's Domain. None of the invading forces expected a counterattack from anywhere except the castle, so the Zoras took them all by surprise. Most of Zelda's enemies had retreated quickly.

As usual, please review!


	8. War of the Roses

**CHAPTER 8**

**War of the Roses**

* * *

**Rusl Valle**

Rusl remained silent during the entire trip, not bothering to speak once. Blackthorne manned the oars alone, but did keep a steady glance on Rusl.

It was nothing short of a miracle that the two of them survived that fire. Rusl's body floated down Greystone River... it was Blackthorne, wounded, with an arm burned, yet still swam back into the river to retrieve Rusl's body. Perhaps he could have returned it to Juste for a handsome reward. However, that idea was quickly scrapped when he realized that Rusl was close to unharmed by the fire, and still breathing. The fire likely put him into shock, and he fell overboard faster than everybody else.

Deep inside Blackthorne's mind, he couldn't help but feel an undeniable sense of disappointment when he found out that Rusl was okay. From a financial standpoint, he probably would have been paid for recovering Rusl's body. With him alive, no reward would be given. The worst part is that Rusl won't even thank Blackthorne for saving his life.

Blackthorne once again sighed, and kept on going forward. They were approaching the end of Greystone River, which was south, just passing by Ordon. From there, they could walk to a port. When the duo neared the end of their trip, the water was much clearer, and the current was not as punishing, which Blackthorne was thoroughly grateful for. After watching his ship burn down beneath his feet, he needed a change in pace. Perhaps a vacation.

In retrospect, Blackthorne smiled, and considered the good fortune of actually surviving. The whole 'captain goes down with the ship' thing was false, and his own actions helped to prove that. Of course, his entire crew went down with the ship... not that it was their choice, anyways. He'll have to find a whole new crew and a new ship to go with it. He eyed Rusl again, thinking about the King's Second being able to give him a ship once again. For the first time during the trip, Rusl lifted his head up to glare at Blackthorne. "If you really think I'm paying for your new ship, then you're terribly mistaken," Rusl said. This did not come off as surprising, to say the least.

Blackthorne shrugged, and tried to remain neutral after the harsh and intruding comment. "That's not what I was going to say," he replied. Then, he continued to row, and began to put his back into it. Rusl raised an eyebrow. "I'm serious. I was about to ask whether you wanted to go to Ordon or Termina. We're going on a fork and we have to choose. But now that you mention the new ship..."

Rusl shook his head. "You clearly aren't fit to be a captain. You led us all into a clear trap and-"

"How was I supposed to know?" Blackthorne retorted. "I'm not physic! I have other priorities to tend to!" The sailor did not sway, but stood still instead. His grey eyes gleamed with anger.

"This was clearly a trap set up moments before it sprung on us," Rusl said. "Are you telling me that not a single man on your ship could recognize the trap before it happened?" Blackthorne remained silent. "You're not worthy to be captain."

At that point, it _should_ have been clear that Rusl obviously felt defeated by such a loss, and bitter. The most appropriate response was to stay quite. However, in the heat of the moment, Blackthorne could not do that. Instead, he let go of the oars, and stood up. The current rocked the boat, but his footing remained steady. "Find one better captain on the high seas, from Rubinia to Koholint. There's no such thing. If you think that _you_ can waltz about and tell me how to do _my _job, you've got another thing coming."

Rusl scoffed. "Are you threatening me?"

"No, good sir," Blackthorne replied, "I'm not threatening you. I'm just informing you of what the situation is. If you _are_ offended, then you can gladly hop off the boat and swim back to Termina." Rusl sneered, and also stood up. Of course, Rusl was slightly more wobbly, and still was not used to the currents.

Hastily, Rusl drew his sword. He pointed it towards Blackthorne, who remained somewhat startled. "Apologize. Now." Blackthorne shook his head. Rusl sighed. He looked at his surroundings. Ordon was still nowhere in sight, so they must have taken the route directly to Termina. The trip would be far too long for Rusl to go by himself. "Are we really going to travel all the way to Termina by this little canoe that you stole?"

Blackthorne lightly chuckled. "I didn't steal 'this little canoe'. And I think you've realized that I'm the only way you're getting back," Blackthorne said, and Rusl silently nodded in understanding, although the swordsman did not look happy about it. "These woods are big. You're injured. I'm your only way out, but there's a price."

Rusl sighed, admitting defeat. He looked up once again at Blackthorne. "Before the week ends, you will be supplied with a new ship and an experienced crew."

"And breakfast soon, on your wallet." That sounded almost like a joke. _Almost._ He glanced at Blackthorne, studying his facial expression. If the sailor was jesting with Rusl, then he did an excellent job of not showing it. _You've got to be joking. _That was not the case.

"There's no tavern to eat anywhere," Rusl protested, looking down at the gleaming river, "and that's irrelevant anyways." Blackthorne smiled, at pointed towards what was in front of the captain. Rusl turned his head, and saw Ordon appearing in the distance. Rusl appeared amused, but showed no signs of it. "That's clever, I have to say."

"The real mistake was that you thought Greystone River diverges. It doesn't lead out to Termina." Blackthorne shook his head in disappointment, "how did you not know that?" Rusl remained silent for the rest of the trip. Once the trip ended, the two stepped out on the sandy shores, not far from Ordon. With a single heave, they carried it over their head. The canoe was muddy at parts, and did not dry properly. Upon flipping it over and carrying it above their heads, some water fell on them. With weather becoming colder and colder, the water chilled them to the bones.

Rusl and Blackthorne carried it past the somewhat dense forests and a single field, before finally stopping by the time they reached Ordon. The sun was finally out, and a few villagers had woken up. Blackthorne had cast the canoe aside in a nearby stream, and they enjoyed breakfast while there. Blackthorne became quite accompanied with the villagers there. The children loved to hear about his travels to different parts of the world. He often talked about his time in Sarkotten, the major city of the Sahonna, a native tribe in a distant continent, south of Hyrule. Or of his adventures in Rubinia, which was a small part of Termina, but seceded years ago.

Blackthorne's thoughts were interrupted when Rusl nudged his shoulder. Blackthorne looked around, only to see Fado chopping wood. "Blackthorne!" Fado said as he waves from a distance. Blackthorne returns the smile, and waves back. Quickly, Fado dropped the axe and approached the sailor. "Sorry about what happened... but, on the bright side, you _are_ okay."

"And without a ship. Or a crew." Fado chuckled. Blackthorne tried to keep it lighthearted, but it was rather difficult. The sailor was ordinarily light-hearted, but it was tough to do so.

"Can't help you with that," Fado said, shrugging. It was clear that he had no intention of keeping the conversation going.

"Wasn't expecting you to. Anyways," Blackthorne replied, "has anything new happened while I was gone?" Rusl did not partake in the conversation, but simply watched. What he did notice was slight nervousness from the goat herder when Blackthorne said that last sentence. Fado loosened up the top button of his shirt.

The goat herder managed a smile, although it was quite shaky at the same time. "I've quite the story to tell you," he said. Fado sighed. "But I think that it would be better if we discussed it over breakfast, no?"

"We've already had breakfast," Rusl immediately replied.

Fado remained unmoved."Then lunch it is." He immediately moved towards his house, which was in the direction of the goat farm. After a few steps onto the bridge, he signaled for Rusl and Blackthorne to come with him. Blackthorne moved first, but Rusl remained stationary. After a moment, he finally did step towards the bridge, but Fado and Blackthorne were far ahead. The goat herder almost forgot to bring his ax with him, but promptly remembered.

* * *

"By the Goddesses, Fado, if you'd have told me that you have such a nice house, I definitely would have come visit!" Blackthorne exclaimed, bewildered by Fado's house. His home was largely unseen by most people, even the residents of Ordon. It was secluded on the far side of a hill, where nobody could actually see it. It was quite a shame, however, since it was quite a nice house. The outside was purely stone, but the inside was finely crafted and made out of wood. Intricate paintings were hung across the walls, and he had a large fireplace. The house was clearly too big for a single person, but to be fair, Fado did appear to make quite a profit on his goat herding business.

The kitchen was also quite spectacular, but paled in comparison to the rest of the house. Fado showed Rusl and Blackthorne to the dining table, which had seating for perhaps a dozen people by itself. Hastily, Fado once again left, and this time, brought back plates with steak on them. "Either of you vegetarian?" Fado asked. Both men shook their heads. "Excellent. Then let's eat."

Rusl was the first to take a bite. With the first one, he immediately took a second one. He savored the perfection of the meat. "Where did you find such excellent cows?"

Fado chuckled. "Who said they were cows?"

Suddenly, Blackthorne lowered his fork, being disgusted, and his face pale. "You don't mean... these are..." he implied, staring at Fado, who simply nodded. "Why didn't you tell us these were goats _before_ we started eating?"

"Because then you wouldn't eat," Fado replied, breaking out into a small giggle. He then took another bite out of the steak laid out before him. Rusl also seemed not to mind, based on the fact that he continued to wolf down the meat. _Perhaps it's a local thing_, Blackthorne thought silently to himself. Fado cleared his throat once again, swallowing any remaining food. "As I was saying, there's been something that's happened two days ago."_  
_

"Is it good or bad?" Rusl asked. _Please be good ... Please be good_. However, Fado's face had worn a smile that conflicted with the grave tone in his voice.

"Quite good, actually," Fado responded, with a smile that was clearly fake. "Well, it's good for Harra, since he's found what's truly made him happy." Rusl and Blackthorne nodded, happy to hear that. Both men wanted the best for Harra, considering the boy's been through quite a bit against his father. "But his happiness will bring you undeniable fear and misery. Tell me, is it true that Harra is to marry King Manni's heir?"

"That's a little extreme," Rusl said with his mouth full. He promptly swallowed the last of his meat. "And yes, that is true."

"He proposed to Ilia, in front of the Goddesses and men. They've left, saying that they shall go 'where nobody may disturb them'." Fado grimaced. Silence immediately clouded the room.

"By the Goddesses," Blackthorne gasped. "He was supposed to marry Manni's heir! That was the whole reason that Manni is on Juste's side! I should have known this would happen... the long walks the two spent in the forests and the hours they spent together gazing at the sunset should have been a damn clear indicator!"

"So Manni has no reason to ally with Juste any more," Rusl added silently. "It might have been okay if we'd taken Hyrule Castle, but we didn't and Manni lost countless men because of that. He'll want revenge." The swordsman sighed. Then another idea dawned upon him. "What about Ilia's father, Bo? He's worried sick and beyond, I bet."

"That's the second piece of bad news. Bo never heard about them running away. Nor can he see you right now." Fado remained stern. "Rusl... this is going to hurt. Bo... Bo is-"

"Don't say it," Rusl immediately stopped Fado.

"It was of old age. He died peacefully," the goat herder said.

Rusl took out his dagger, and stabbed it on the wooden table. He stood up, and sneered at Fado. "Who are you to say he 'died peacefully'? He didn't say goodbye to Link, who he raised like a son, for two years now! He never got to learn that his daughter found somebody!" Blackthorne glared at Rusl, reminding him to sit down. Rusl finally did so, but his temper remained about the same. "He had loose ends to tie up. I know for a fact that he wasn't ready to depart! I know for a _fact_ that Bo did not die peacefully."

Fado shrugged. "Regardless, his funeral is today and I thought you'd like to attend. He was a good man and I know that he'd have wanted you to come." Rusl wanted to come. In truth, Bo was in ailing health for many weeks now. _Link left, never to come again, and that truly did hurt him. Then I left._ _I asked him whether he would be able to survive without me. "I'll be fine," Bo said to me, with a smile. __No, you weren't fine. You lied._

A wave of guilt passed over Rusl, drowning him. He quietly stood up, and excused himself from the table. Moments later, the front door shut closed. Blackthorne glanced at Fado. "Should we talk to him?" Blackthorne asked. Fado shook his head. Despite that, he went outside. Rusl sat upright against a tree, his face held low and dangerous. Yet, all common sense evaded Blackthorne's mind, and he went to the swordsman.

The air was cold and stiff, especially on top of the hill. The grass was still radiating with dew, so it was a wonder that Rusl managed to stay outside without seeming cold. It took a large amount of courage, but Blackthorne resisted the temptation of going back inside to get a coat. Instead, he stood in front of Rusl. "He was a good man. Honest. Loyal."

Rusl looked up at the sailor, with bloodshot eyes, "what do you know about loyalty? You work for the highest bidder!" Rusl sighed, and calmed down by a slight margin. He placed both hands on the morning grass and lifted himself, facing Blackthorne at eye level. "I'm sorry," he said. "I shouldn't be questioning your loyalty. It's just that I'm upset. I needed to say goodbye. See my dying friend - who was also a role model - one last time. Instead, the last time we saw, we discussed fine wines and wrestling with Gorons." Rusl lifted his head slightly, and leaned against the tree, chuckling. "Perhaps that was what was going to happen anyways. Sure, we could have been reflecting on old times, but that was about it."

"Good men make mistakes. You should have stayed in Ordon while you had the choice. This is your true home," Blackthorne said. _Home? What home?_ Rusl thought to himself. _Home was taken away from me ever since this war started. Half of the village left to help Zelda. Those that remain swore fealty to my brother, the usurper. With the war, residents of Ordon have met each other on the battlefield, torn with their allegiance._

"And what counts as home?" Rusl asked, raising an eyebrow in intrigue. "Perhaps coming home to the ones you loved. Or it's where you feel a sense of duty. Accomplishment. Pride. What counts as home at that point?"

"I've no time for games," Blackthorne grimaced. It was quite straightforward, but time was valuable. Almost as valuable as getting into his own cabin, which stood at the base of Ordon, against the rivers that made the lands so fertile and produce so ripe. Hands in the pockets of his ragged pants, Blackthorne swirled to walk away. One step ... Two step. He turned again, staring at Rusl. "And you were right," he said, and Rusl looked up in confusion. "Loyalty does not inspire me. At the same time, you are wrong, for I am loyal to one thing, and one thing only: money."

_When making a decision, can a man be both wrong and right at the same time? _Rusl took in some of the cold morning air, perplexed by that question. He just remained there, leaning against the dark and aging tree that lied outside of Fado's home, as if it acted as a landmark to symbolize how old the house is. Moments turned into minutes, and minutes turn into half of an hour until an answer was formed: _that's the only time a man can make a decision._

* * *

**Zelda Harkinan**

It may have been a victory, but it came at a price. Quite a steep one, at that. The eastern side of Hyrule Castle was decimated. The western side of the castle did not look much better. Nonetheless, a victory means that Manni is not an invincible warlord, and that Hyrule Castle still stands strong. Rebuilding it would take a while. But everybody, from royalty to soldiers to peasants did their share. Zelda wanted to help, but she had more pressing matters to attend to, mainly thanking Prince Ralis for his continued allegiance. There was no better way to do so than a feast.

Zeal personally planned for the feast, and took place in the main hall of Hyrule Castle, which, surprisingly enough, was not damaged whatsoever. Zelda took the morning as free time, and decided to take the opportunity to tie up loose ends. Thus, she spent the entire morning searching for Link. Last night's revelation must have been disturbing for the hero, to say the least. Eventually, Zelda found him. Link was practicing sword techniques on targets designed for basic training. From a distance, she watched to see what he did.

As was customary, he held the sword with his left hand. He swung at the head twice, both furiously, followed by a jab to the gut. The cycle continued for a seemingly indefinite amount of time and Link did not have intentions to stop any time soon. Eventually, she began walking towards him. "Link," Zelda called out. After another jab, he turned around. His eyes were bloodshot. He posture was weaker, and he looked more tired than he had ever been before. "How long have you been practicing? And why?"

"I started practicing after you went to sleep. I haven't stopped since." Link grimaced. "I used to make kings rise and fall. Now I can't even handle two adult men who can't fight properly. I need to train."

"Well, you know that's an awful thing to do, and your loss doesn't justify a lack of sleep," Zelda said. Link shrugged, and partially accepted Zelda's words as reasonable. "Anyways... I wanted to talk about what happened last night with the silkis syrup."

Link chuckled, and this earned a glare from Zelda. "You acted like that on pride. You're too important for anybody to have the pleasure of killing you. Now tell me, how is _your_ pride somehow inferior to mine?" Link asked. Just as he expected, she did not respond. "Exactly. I need to be the best warrior ever. To prove that I'm more than an orphan who got lucky a few times."

"You're to be my king soon enough. You've already proven yourself." With that, Zelda rubbed her upper right arm, which was still sore from yesterday because she held onto Link's hand for several hours. "It's truly a spectacle. I've never seen anything like it." Link clearly appeared confused. "I meant how everybody is helping to build. Some of these people have lost their loved ones. Brothers. Sisters. Wives, husbands, children, everybody has lost somebody. Other people have lost their houses. Yet they still rebuild Hyrule City. Why?"

Link was clearly stumped, based on the expression on his face. "I honestly don't know. Perhaps it's loyalty to you."

Zelda shook her head. "They need to hold onto something. For these people, their surroundings are what defines them. They need to cling to something to remind themselves of who they are. What makes them unique. Some cling to the Goddesses. Others cling to love. But here, people cling to their city. Hyrule City is all they have left." For a moment, Link remained silent

"That's pretty insightful. Anyways... all this talk about inner psychological behavior is getting me hungry! Let's go and find something to eat!" Zelda immediately shot down Link's offer. They would be eating soon enough anyways. Irregardless, he paid little attention, and went back to striking the target. It flung back and forth with each strike, each one more strenuous than the last. It was clear that his right shoulder still ached, but the damage seemed minimal. After a few minutes, Zelda finally left the garden, which was lush and green. She walked the steps along the courtyard, which still remained intact.

Turning the corner, Zelda saw Zeal shouting at people and shortly after a servant said something to the chancellor, he threw his clipboard down. The queen could not help but smile as her most trusted adviser turned red in the face. Zeal proceeded to pick up the clipboard and smack a grown man twice his size with it. From then, Zeal shouted something that somewhat resembled profanity, a rarity in Zeal's vocabulary, but Zelda was too far away to hear him properly. Instead, she leaned against the cold castle walls, and watched.

The man gave a sneer, and looked like he was prepared to strangle Zeal, right there and then. However, the burly man simply stayed quiet, and walked away. Zeal uttered a few words, but nobody appeared to pay him any attention. Of course, a man at such a short stature rarely warranted attention in any way except the form of mockery. Nobody whispered the jokes to Zelda in particular, but she knew that Zeal was often compared to the dwarves who were fabled to roam southern Hyrule thousands of years ago. _He's certainly got the beard for it_, Zelda thought to herself.

After a moment, he noticed Zelda, and made a quick jog to meet her in the side of the courtyard. Zeal carried his clipboard there, and bowed to her once he got to a certain distance. He noticed Zelda eyeing the clipboard with slight interest, so he handed it to her. She skimmed over the documents through it: seemingly random numbers and contacts filled the dozens of pages. At the bottom of the last page, another number was provided, but in red. In comparison, everything else was written in black ink.

"The red mark is how much money we have left after the budget allotted for this feast," Zeal said, keeping his eye on the number. "You can probably tell that it's not good, based on the fact that it's written in red. I'm trying to reduce costs wherever possible so that I can scratch that off and write the sum in black."

"We're going to be in the red regardless. Plan the feast for every man, woman, and child in Hyrule City, free of charge." If Zelda was simply jesting, then she did an excellent job of making herself sound serious. "I'm serious."

"This is a perilous time and food prices are already too high for our liking. We simply can't afford the luxury of feeding Hyrule City." Zelda remained unmoved. Zeal sighed, and turned away from her, "I'll see to it immediately. This is a grave mistake, I must warn you."

_Frankly, I don't care_, Zelda thought to herself. She did, however, follow Zeal back inside of Hyrule Castle. The carpets that lined up the middle of the floor was a mess. Some of the valuables placed at the sides of the room, such as jewelry, placed in glass cases, were stolen while they were keeping Hyrule City's civilians safe. Men and women alike were rushing through the halls, some helping to rebuild the walls while others prepared the feast.

Zelda's thoughts were interrupted as a man tapped on her shoulder. The man turned out to be rather young; a boy entering his teens, perhaps. "My Queen." He bowed down and stood up once again, kissing her gloved hand in the process. "I am the King of Rubinia by right. My name is Alesandor Vypren."

Zeal appeared interested, and turned around to see the boy. "I remember seeing you a few years ago when I visited Rubinia." Zelda raised an eyebrow, interested in Zeal's affiliation with the distance land. "Many members of my family live there. My dear Alesandor, I remember when you were ten years old! Couldn't speak a word of Hylian!"

Alesandor smiled. "I do feel that I'm decent in writing and speaking the language, at the very least."

Zelda remained silent up until then. Alesandor seemed quite desperate. Wanting to say something. After all, Rubinia is quite a travel, and the heir did not come for the feast. "Why are you here? Do you have business to attend to?"

"As you know, my family has been forced out of our rightful lands. When Termina and Rubinia separated, my family, a distant relative of House Valle, were supposed to be the rulers of the lands. However, another family, House Ferdinant, took it instead."

"They've been fighting for the throne ever since," Zeal added.

"_Si_," Alesandor nodded, saying 'yes' in his native tounge. "We can win this. However, we need help. If you help to restore me to power, I swear to help you in these perilous times." He paused. "None of the Ferdinant usurpers will help you, but will harm you instead."

Zelda looked towards Zeal for help. Zeal shrugged and spoke, "our enemy's armies are decimated. If you would like, we could help the boy quickly. However, if we fail, we anger House Ferdinant, which will in turn ally with our enemies. It's a gamble."

Zelda was about to speak, but Alesandor spoke first. "Come with me, your grace. I want to tell you a few things before you make a decision." Zelda reluctantly followed, but Zeal stayed back to organize the feast. They once again went outside to the courtyard, but Link had left, most likely to eat. "Firstly, I am the King of Termina after the Valle family. We are directly related to them, and if they are removed from power, I become the rightful king."

"Don't you think you're a little young to be talking about all of this?" Zelda asked. Alesandor shook his head.

"My father was killed by the Ferdinant usurpers. I'm the oldest male in the family, and despite the fact that I have two older sisters, Terminian law states that the oldest man becomes the heir. Rubinia follows the same principles. I am the future King of Rubinia. The God of the Forest said that much."

"What?"

Alesandor stopped in his tracks. "About a year ago, I was lost in Rubinia's dense forests. I was stranded for days. Deeper and deeper I went into the forest, and everything became stranger. I saw ... Bizarre things. Things I can't comprehend." The boy took a moment to recollect himself. "The plants lit up. They turned into arrays of colors. Red, blue, green, and colors I have never seen before. Wind started to blow from all directions around me. It lifted me up higher than the treetops. That's when I saw fairies singing. Dancing."

"Can you describe the fairy?" Zelda asked, thinking of the Great Fairy.

The boy nodded, "blue-green hair ... Ears like none other. And it was fairies. Dozens of them, flying around me. They all sang in perfect harmony, 'the future king, the future king, the future king'. I can't explain it. They did something to me after that."

With that, Alesandor took out a small dagger. Zelda became frightened, ready to run away or defend herself. Instead, he thrust it into his lower left arm, and the blade appeared on the other side. Zelda screamed at the sight. Alesandor removed it, and the spot was red. Not red of blood, but a glowing, neon sort of red. Instantly, the skin regenerated itself, and it appeared as if nothing happened. "I can't die," Alesandor told her. "After that, I realized the truth about religion. Religion is not faith. Religion... is what you see. What I saw was the act of God. And when you see it as real as this garden... how can you say no?"

"There are fairies in Hyrule as well," Zelda responded, "and we've seen spirits come from the lake. Our Goddesses are as real as your god."

"Have _you _seen these spirits?" Alesandor asked. Zelda remained quiet, but it was clear that she was alluding to Link. "Link's been travelling, fighting armies by himself, all alone. All I'm saying is that he might have been stretching his imagination to fill gaps for what he doesn't understand." Alesandor sighed, and put his dagger away. He continued to walk along the gardens, dangerously close to the tulips and the roses. "Anyways, whether there is a male god or a female god, or a single entity or many, I know what I've seen, and I can prove it. I was destined for this. I do not choose my destiny, but it is my duty to bring order to Rubinia. Great or small, we must all perform our duty, no?"

"I suppose," Zelda replied. She did not want to make any commitments, and that was painfully obvious to Alesandor, but he persisted. "I'll decide today, during the feast. Come and find me then." Deep down, Zelda wanted the boy gone. But then again, the boy's family was incredibly powerful and had great influence. Nevertheless, they _were _a branch of House Valle. _Perhaps they aren't on good terms with the Valles if they're coming to me for help._

**Harra Valle**

Horses were not an option, so travel - or escape, rather, had to be done on foot. No doubt the trip would be dangerous. Even if Harra was a skilled fighter, especially for his age, they were as good as done if bandits found them in the woodlands. They also could not take the standard routes across Hyrule open fields in case somebody recognized him. Thus, forests it was.

The trip was evidently harder on Harra than it was on Ilia. Harra was hungry, cold, hot, and anything else he could think of. At first, it was quite amusing for Ilia to see him complain and constantly contradict himself. After about a day of travelling, it became quite annoying. _He likes to complain for the sake of complaining_, Ilia observed on more than one occasion. When Harra was cold, he took out a sweater. When he was hot, he carried his sweater on his shoulder. At that point, he started to complain about having to carry the sweater everywhere.

That morning, the forest was particularly cold. Of course, that didn't hinder the trip, but help it, rather - the cold chilled the two to their bones. Harra, having been so far south all his life, wasn't used to the cold breeze. He would have to be, considering where they were going.

"Where are we headed? You still haven't told me," Ilia said. She carried more than her own weight in brown, dark leather bags. Ilia kept a steady glare on him while she walked, until a root implanted in the ground nearly tripped her.

"We're going to my aunt's old cabin, deep within the snowy mountains."

Ilia glared at him, and frowned. "I want to go home." Harra stopped in his tracks, and Ilia did so immediately after. She spat on the ground. "I'm tired, I'm cold, and I'm hungry. I should go home. And I will." She threatened to turn around, but he grabbed her arm before she could do so. In a split second, she only heard the sound of him unsheathing his sword.

"Put your sword down, boy, before no one gets hurt," one knight said. He was one among - perhaps a dozen - riding on horseback. Within seconds, they surrounded the couple. Harra remained unmoved, and kept his sword pointed at the one in front of him. He knew that eleven other swords were pointed at _him_.

The knights were wearing typical armor, with a symbol embedded on their chest: the falcon. Their swords were of a fairly low quality, especially compared to the one Harra had. _Perhaps they're bandits with fancy armor_, Harra thought to himself. He could not recall any noble families with the falcon as their symbol. "May I ask who you are?"

"You've got some nerve, boy, to be trespassing," the guard said, in a gruff voice. "Don't you know that this is Lord De'Groot's hunting grounds?"

_Lord De'Groot..._

Harra quickly went through as much of his memory as possible to remember any relevant information. As a child of a noble family, he was tasked with knowing such things, on top of skills such as reading and writing. _The De'Groot family is one of the main allies of Hyrule Castle. They sparked rebellions against the crown on several occasions, none to any degree of success. After losing the latest one, a De'Groot family member was forced to enlist in Hyrule Castle's army as a punishment._

"Why are you here?" the knight answered. "Better yet, give me _one _good reason that I should not behead you right here."

Harra nervously smiled, and glanced at the knights. They were all bigger, stronger, and far more imposing than him. "I am also a knight, good sir. Graduated from the Citadel."

"We're all from the Hylian Knights Guild. Just because you're knighted doesn't mean you're immune. Everybody knows that the Citadel trains knights that are not talented, but wealthy." The knight took off his helmet, and spat on the ground. Without a helmet, the knight, who named himself Sir Lucion, looked even more imposing and scary. He wasn't sure whether it was the fact that both of his eyes were of different colors, or that a scar lined up the middle of his face that made Harra want to turn away. "You see, kid? You're no warrior compared to us. Now I'll repeat my question," the knight said, lifting up his sword at Harra, "why should I spare you?"

"I'm the son of Juste Valle, heir to Termina. Word of my death will reach him, and he'll find you in the night. That I guarantee."

Another knight laughed. "You think we're scared of men who already lost the war?"

The knight with the scar looked at the couple again. "I'll bring you to Lord De'Groot. He'll either keep you prisoner, or kill you right there." One of the knights pushed Ilia forward, and a few laughed as a result. "Either way, you're good as dead."

The trek was surprisingly short, and indeed - a castle emerged from the fields. It was small, certainly miniature compared to Hyrule Castle or the one in Termina, but a castle nonetheless. Men were guarding the entrance, and the knights were promptly allowed inside with the two prisoners. Through a maze of endless corridors and hallways, they finally emerged to Lord De'Groot himself, sitting and watching a nearby stream. The lord stood to face the knights. "What requires my attendance?"

"The boy says he's Juste's son, my lord."

Lord De'Groot eyed Ilia for a moment. "And what of her?"

"A lowly peasant," the knight responded. In response, Ilia attempted to kick his knee, but to no avail. Instead, his grip on her tightened.

Tybalt the head of House De'Groot, appeared to be perplexed. After a few moments, he finally spoke a command. "Find these two rooms to stay in. They are honoured guests for tonight." With that, the knights respectfully bowed and left. Harra, to say the least, was shocked. He had expected to be killed right there. Especially considering the fact that it would put House De'Groot in better standings with Zelda.

Nevertheless, they were given two separate rooms. Quite good ones, at that. Sir Lucion was quite surprised by this. Why spare the two? Lucion became so interested in that question to the point that he had to ask Lord De'Groot himself.

"I'll decide that at a later time," the lord responded. "But for now, keep them here." Sir Lucion nodded, and was about to walk away, when the lord spoke again, "and keep them alive. We're not torturing them."

**Manni Rodras**

"I want them gone. My enemies think that they've defeated me."

Manni slammed his fist into the rock wall. "I want them gone. All of them." The legendary warlord was but a shadow of his former self. The loss made him weaker. The cold winter air made his appear as a corpse.

_I've won every battle_, he thought to himself. _Yet I lose one against a little girl. _Breaths became heavier. That day, he could see his breath. Despite Koholint having been a dormant volcano that stretched beyond the sea at one point, the island was colder than most parts of Hyrule. He often liked to take walks during the nights, along the perimeter of the castle. It was built in a very irregular shape, with random and nonsensical corridors at every turn. Manni quickly became used to it, and so did many of his subjects.

But none of that mattered. What mattered was his dignity. Or at least, what was left. _Sian would have known what to do._

But Sian was dead. She's always been dead, Manni had to remind himself that one too many times. The day Manni met her was the day he truly had been at peace. That his life was complete. She gave his brother twins, both extraordinarily talented, and reflections of himself. Ramsi was a talented fighter. Aman was merciless, and cunning. Yet Sian died a day after his third child, a son with piercing blue eyes, was born.

Sian was a lowborn women, yet beautiful in her own way. Yet his brother did not love her. It was Manni who loved her, but she married his older sibling. It wasn't long before Manni and Sian had become lovers, and cheated on Manni's brother. Truthfully, Aman and Ramsi were more likely Manni's children than his own brother. The third child had undoubtedly been his. The blue eyes were a strong indicator.

In his rage, he sentenced the infant to death. One knight managed to smuggle the infant away from Koholint. He brought the child to Hyrule, where he grew up. Of course, Manni could not reasonably have known who the infant grew up to be. He grew up to be legendary. That's what Manni always told himself.

It was not until that point that Manni noticed that his right hand, still against the spiky walls of Koholint Castle, started to ooze with red. He removed it prompty, and shook his hand to regain feeling in it. Manni turned to the stairs. An elderly man pushed his way through the countless servants that were preparing lunch for a single man. "Lost in your thoughts again, eh?"

"Well met, father. Nice to see that you've decided to leave the upper floors of this maze that we call home," Manni replied. His father, Janos, was a man on his last years. And clearly, those years were not kind. A fully bald scalp resulting from many years of hair loss, an apparent lack of posture, and wrinkly old skin were all testaments. The many teeth lost meant that he often butchered words. With every step, the _tap tap tap_ was heard of Janos' walking cane.

"Yes, yes. 'Bout time that I - that I walk a little, no? Next you'll tell me to go outside, I s'pose. That won't happen soon, I'm afraid. The sun's no good on my skin." Janos was quite a curios man. The father of two children, he was the rightful heir to Koholint after his father died. When Janos' father died, Janos, instead of becoming Koholint's king, passed it on to his youngest son, Manni.

Ever since then, Janos locked himself away in a tower, doing nothing but sending messages by ravens, or if possible, an actual man. Janos was adept at handling the small details of running Koholint. Eventually, he started to take control of most of Koholint's politics, aside from war. Nobody bested Manni in the matters of bloodshed. Not until yesterday.

"Why are you here?"

Janos glared at his son. "Well, I would like for you to know that House Karris, one of our greatest supporters in the desert, have now declared themselves for Queen Zelda. Secondly, I'd like to ask you 'bout what the hell that happened last night?"

"We were surprised," Manni grunted.

"If you were fightin' a war, you should have known about the surprises, no? After all, you were _this_ close to taking Hyrule Castle four years ago. Then, bein' the boy I feared you were, you backed away."

"Chaos. Darkness. Twilight descended over Hyrule like a blanket; my attention was needed back home. There was nothing I could have done." That's what Manni told himself every day after Ganondorf was slain by a single boy, no older than his own children. _Nothing I could do._

Janos spat on the ground, and sneered at Manni. Step by step, _tap_ by _tap, _he approached his son. "You conquered the whole of Hyrule but ran away like a lady when some weaklin' told you to give it all up." Zant's no weakling, Manni wanted to say. Janos always intercepted Manni's thoughts halfway, and spoke again. "And some boy, _a boy_, slayed entire armies by himself. You were groomed for battle your whole life. That boy's been herdin' sheep."_  
_

_Herding sheep is harder than it looks_, Manni amused himself with the thought. He tried once, to gain new skills - didn't end so well. And yet, the arguing still continued. On and on, the bitter old man rambled, often telling stories of his own childhood, which seemed painfully exaggerated.

"Thank you father, I've been enlightened by our talk," Manni said. Janos slowly nodded, before leaving to go back upstairs.

But before he left, Janos turned around once more. "Oh," he said, "and check up on my grandson's shipbuilding, will you?" Manni remained silent, and simply walked away. Janos, sighing, also walked away, back to his cellar - his prison - at the peaks of the castle. Manni kept his glare, as his father stepped up the stairs.

A boy - donned in red, signifying him as a messenger, blitzed through the corridors. He did give Manni somewhat of a startle, but the man kept himself composed. "M- my lord, we've received a message from Zelda Harkinan," the boy said. He reached for his satchel, and tried pulling out the letter. He eventually did find it, finely inked and waxed with the Crown's symbol, the Triforce. He handed it off to Manni.

Manni promptly rejected it, "I've not the time for reading; tell me what it says."

The boy hesitantly opened it up, slowly, until Manni beckoned him to hurry up. He scanned through the letter, and began reading. "From Zelda, Her Grace is willing to pardon you if you surrender. Doing so will grant you the continued title of King of Koholint."

The boy left the letter in Manni's hands, against the man's will, and hurried off. Obviously, the boy was scared of the king, and for good reason. Manni crumpled up the letter, tearing up bits and pieces of it. _How dare she_, Manni thought to himself. He left the chamber, and sent a raven off to Sand Port.

* * *

**Zelda Harkinan**

Of course, the feast came into full fruition by the night. _Zeal is truly marvelous_, Zelda thought herself. Only he could manage something so quickly. Yet, despite the apparent success of the feast - everybody, even Zeal himself was having fun. The Queen couldn't help but smile when Zeal continued to yell at servants and the like, despite everything going smoothly.

Throughout the night, the songs were merry, and went with the general atmosphere - happiness, merriment, and victory. The musicians, fourteen in total, were quite excellent. Within a few minutes, the latest song, _Crow's Feathers_, had ended. It was a song that was passed down from generation to generation to generation; it was created to celebrate the day that the Harkinans regained Hyrule Castle. With that, the _Knight of Golden Hair_ began playing. It was somewhat of a childish song, but nobody seemed to mind. And the musicians played it an octave lower, making it sound much more suitable for Zelda. She closed her eyes, and let the music flow into her ears:

"_Oh, beautiful she was,  
and the reason the sun rose every day.  
The knight heard of her fairness,  
and off he went away.  
The knight, of silver armor!  
The knight, of golden hair!  
The knight, who traveled day and night,  
to find his princess fair!  
He crossed through mountains and rivers,  
to find his princess fair!"_

A tap on her shoulders. Zelda turned around to see Link looming over her, hand outstretched. "My, you clean up nicely," she said, blushing.

Link smiled. His hair was neatly combed to the side, as opposed to the waves it normally made. Despite having grown quite a beard for the past few weeks, he shaved it all off. _Thank the Goddesses for that. _A black suit looked good on him, in Zelda's mind. He finally spoke, "care to dance?"

Zelda took Link's hand, and stood up. The music became slower. The singer stopped singing, letting the violins and the pianos take over, into a song Zelda did not know. Or frankly, did not care to know.

Her hand was trapped in his; his other hand was on her hip. They danced, and they spun, and many more couples followed anon. Link and Zelda twirled, and they laughed, and they restored the magic that they found four years ago, when they met for the first time. Telma gorged herself at the buffet, for once, Zeal stopped yelling and took the time to rest, and even Impa appeared to be smiling. Or at least, what Zelda thought was a smile. The song sped up, and steadily changed back into _The Knight of Golden Hair_, which did not fit the dance.

Link was the first to recognize the awkwardness, and gave a smile to Zelda. "We'll dance later; I'll find us some food, perhaps." Zelda nodded in agreement.

She took her seat again, and prepared to get some rest. Slowly, the world turned black to her - but the feast continued for the rest of the highborn lords and ladies. Alesandor planned on talking to Zelda about their possible alliance after she stopped dancing, but evidently, that would have to wait. Instead, he watched everybody else laugh and talk and eat and dance till they became drunk.

"So, I presume that you're the kook that Zelda was talking about?" Petar asked, appearing behind Alesandor. Like Link, Petar De'Groot also cleaned up quite nicely. With an extravagant suit, Petar looked much richer than he actually was. Meanwhile, Alesandor was the heir to one of the richest families in the known world, yet wore rags and had a bronze crown with antlers sticking out of it. Petar held up a glass of wine, and smirked. The smirk turned into laughter, "I should have known; the antler crown is a dead giveaway."

Alesandor took little offense to that; he knew who he was. "And you are?"

"Petar. Of the noble House De'Groot."

It was Alesandor's turn to smile. He knew Hylian families quite well. He had to, considering he was preaching to them for help. "Ah, so you're the son that your father gave up after he lost his rebellion? I should have known; you _do_ look quite unsightly, like the rest of the De'Groots. Or are they dead, labelled as traitors and fools and cowards?"

Petar promptly drew out his sword, causing a dozen voices to gasp. Quickly, more and more eyes were focused on Petar's next move. "We were outnumbered ten to one by Zelda's father alone!"

"A stupid rebellion then," Alesandor replied. Link stepped forward. Zelda awoke, and also step to intervene.

A single tap on the shoulder by Link was enough to remind Petar of his place. Ever since Petar had been brought to Hyrule Castle, he's been treated like a prisoner. Zeal was the first person to see Petar as more than that. As cordial as Zeal was, it was nicer to have a friend in the same age group, which is why he treated Link so dearly.

Petar sheathed his sword and walked away without saying any more. Zelda glared at Alesandor, looking the boy in the eyes. "I believe that you're not welcome here."

Alesandor smiled, in a gentlemanly fashion. He took a bow, and looked Zelda again in the eyes. "Thank you for your audience, your grace." The boy turned the corner, away from the food, the people, and the merriment. Nobody saw him leave. The laughter began once again, but the musicians did not play. Instead of violins, or trumpets, or anything of the like, they held out crossbows. Gasps. Yet not a single one shot a bolt at anybody there.

From the entrance came a barrage of horses and accompanied swordsmen. They proudly carried the snake on their chests. _Manni_, Zelda thought bitterly. They stopped in the middle of the feast. Nobody moved, for the fear of being the first one killed. Petar was the only one with a weapon.

One of the sworsmen took off his helmet - revealing a woman, with light golden hair and blue eyes. She smiled at Zelda. "Well met, _your grace_."

"Guards!" Zelda called out. Between the horsemen and the musicians wielding crossbows, only a few guards would be needed. That was not the case, however, as the woman emptied out the contents of a bag she was carrying with her spare hand.

Heads.

The heads of Hylian guards.

"You monster!" One voice cried out.

She shrugged, and gave a cynical smile. "My name is Aman, heir to Koholint. My uncle, Manni, isn't happy with you, as I'm sure you already know." Aman took a deep pause to recollect herself. She gave herself great joy on giving these people a feast they would never forget. "I was instructed by him to kill every single one of you right here. _However_," she gave a sly smile, "I don't believe in killing people on my first meeting with them. So, you'll live."

Only Petar could have asked the question that ensued. "Why are you here if you aren't going to kill us?"

Aman shrugged. "To give a message: don't think you've won. You've yet to see my wrath."

Zelda sorted herself away from the crowd, and into clear sight of Aman. The two ladies glared at each other, and Zelda spoke. "And what of _my_ wrath?"

"What of it?" She readied her horse and rode back to the entrance, the stampede far louder than the music. Zelda turned to face the musicians, but they had all left as well. A single one remained, and he was the piano player, and was clearly just as confused as everybody else.

Everybody began to talking, wondering how Manni's troops could make it into Hyrule Castle. Some started to complain about the security of the entire area. Zelda glanced at Zeal. The old man was clearly ashamed; feeling that this was his fault. "I'm sorry," Zelda could imagine the old man saying.

* * *

**Alesandor Vypren**

The forest was deep, majestic, and unknown. Yet Alesandor knew exactly what was in the forest: everything. There were elves and fairies and trees that could move. Only he could know this. _Nobody else cared to look_. The forest was his grounds. It's where he went when he was upset, or happy, or angry. Alesandor didn't know which one he was, at the moment. All he knew was that the forest could talk to him. And he talked back.

"Where are you?" he called out at nothing in particular. "O fairy of the forest, I must speak with you." Alesandor was prepared to look all day, searching for the fairy of the forest. He didn't need to, however. The fairy appeared over his shoulder. He turned and smiled at her. "I need help. I need my enemies deposed."

"What you require is murder, do you understand that?" the fairy asked. Alesandor slowly nodded. "Yet I may not help you until you help me. For a child is to die soon. That child is the future savior of the world."

"I thought that I was the future king?" Alesandor asked, crossing his arms.

"You are," the fairy replied, in a sing song voice. She fluttered higher, meeting him at eye level. "But he is the hero. Once you save him from his fate, you shall have chosen three names. Those names will die in less than a year of you saving the boy. Do you accept this?" Alesandor nodded. "What are the three people you wish to depose of?"

Alesandor clutched his hands together. "I shall choose three names. Once I save the boy, the people who I have named will live for less than a year, correct?" The fairy nodded. "The false king of Rubinia," he said, with a cynical smile, "Felipe Ferdinant."

He thought long and hard about the second name. "The false king of Termina," he declared, louder this time, "Juste Valle."

He paused. Alesandor wriggled his fingers together, and it was clear he was lost. Then, it dawned upon him. The third name was the loudest. "The false queen of Hyrule," he declared, triumphant, "Zelda Harkinan."

"Save the boy, and the three you have named will die shortly afterwards," the fairy explained.

"What is the name of this 'future hero'?"

"His name," the fairy took a pause. "Colin Valle."

* * *

**Zelda Harkinan**

By now, Zelda really should have been sleeping. After all, the only people who were awake by this point were Zeal, Impa, and her. Of course, there were guards, but they did not count in Zelda's mind. The only reason she was still awake was because Zeal had called her to his own office, on the very top floor of Hyrule Castle. _How does Zeal climb this every day_? Zelda thought to herself. She was still young and her body able for this, but Zeal was nearing incapability of serving her due to age. _He's got a lot of vigor, I suppose._

He was in his office, just as he expected. The walls were lined up with books; most of them were not decorations, but accounts made by Zeal on various topics. No doubt he made one on the Siege of Hyrule Castle by now. His desk, made of finely crafted oak, still stood strong, and Zeal sat behind it. He looked up and smiled uncharacteristically. "Come in," he said.

Zelda walked inside, and took the seat opposite of him. He stood up, and shook his head. "We could have died today, as you already know. This castle is not safe. The guards need to be retrained."

Zelda laughed nervously, "tell me something I know not."

The old man looked again at her. "I'm serious." He sighed and presented her with a letter. It was signed by the Sahonnan Generalissimo. "The Sahonna reside on the continent south of here-"

"The continent is called Qarthic," Zelda added. "There are two warring tribes on that continent. The Sahonna and the Sinio. The Sahonna own a single city, which doubles as a port: Sarkotten. For centuries, the Sinio are located everywhere else on the vast jungle, and have been attempting to get into the walled city to protect themselves from the 'horrors of the jungle'."

Zeal nodded in approval. "I'm glad to see that the history lectures that I've given you as a child have not come to waste. Anyways, I've decided that the castle is not safe at the moment. You'll be residing in Sarkotten until I properly fix the castle and make it secure again. The Generalissimo there has graciously invited you there." He paused, and sighed. "I understand that you don't want to leave, but understand that what happened today may very well happen again, and next time, we shall not be so lucky."

The Queen shook her head. "I don't want to go. This is my home. We've won the war." Admittedly, Zelda seemed somewhat of a child. _I don't want to go. We've won the war._ The war isn't won; Manni reminded her of that only a few hours ago.

"My Queen, the war has just started. We haven't won anything. But we'll gain a powerful ally in the Sahonnan by gracing them with your presence. They're said to create the walls around the city with solid gold. Their clock tower is made of diamonds. And their swords are made of pure silver."

"They practice slavery. Zeal, they slave people." The man remained quiet after that.

"You'll bring Link with you. I've made up my mind, and the Sahonnan are already preparing to welcome you. They'll keep you safe. Something I haven't done..." _I don't want to go_, Zelda thought to herself. However, she knew he was right. Zeal stood up, "you'll leave for the docks tomorrow morning. And, the second matter of business..."

Zeal took a letter from his cabinet and handed it to Zelda. It had no signature.

_How are you? You don't know me; perhaps you'll never know me, and I do not know you personally, but I know those around you. I'm ashamed, and sorry that I have not recognized that you are the rightful Queen until now. Now I'm here to help you in any way that I can. I'm Terminian, and I would be hanged if I were to reveal who I was, so this needs to remain anonymous. Enclosed is a detailed account of Termina's armies and navies, which I am sure that you will find quite useful._

_Signed,  
A friend from Termina._

True to the words, the second page was a detailed, handwritten data sheet of Termina's military prowess. It even displayed their numbers before and after the siege. "Zeal," Zelda finally said, "make copies of every letter that you find and send the original to me."

* * *

**Bruno**

The cellar was cold, wet, and to his understanding, he was the only person there. Aside from the man. _Grevius Sorell_, Impa named him. The name itself stroke fear into Bruno's heart. What the man did was even worse.

Now he was rotting. His body was aligned to make an 'X'. His feet and wrists were strapped to the wood behind him. "Remember, if you scream, nobody shall hear you," Grevius once told Bruno. "Well, nobody that cares, anyways."_  
_

That night, Grevius came to visit once more. With a crooked smile that seemed to be a natural mistake, the torturer entered the cell. Bruno kept his gaze up.

"Remember," Bruno's father once told him, "we are not gold, nor are we glass. We do not bend. Nor do we break. We are diamonds," his father said. _We're diamonds. Nothing can cut me._

_Fear cuts deeper than wounds._

_Fear cuts deeper than wounds._

_Fear cuts deeper than wounds._

And that night, the wound would cut rather deep. _But fear would cut deeper._ As a result, Bruno sneered at Grevious. The hunchback only smiled. "Wonder why you're the only person in this whole cellar?" Grevius had asked the swordsman. Step by step, Grevius walked closer and closer. "By the time I'm done with you, you'll be demanding that I put you out of your misery."

Bruno spit in reply. "I'll break before I bend."

The torturer shrugged. "That's what they've all said. For some reason, you lot seem to think that acting tough and fearless will keep you living. Let me tell you, like I've told the lot, what it does," he said. "It makes me want to torture you harder. Remove limbs. You'll break before you bend, you say? Fine by me." With that, Grevius held up a knife to Bruno's left cheek.

Blade on skin. Slowly, he pushed deeper. Bruno bit his lower lip to prevent himself from crying out. _Fear cuts deeper than wounds. _The blade's bite was cold and red. Eventually, Bruno couldn't take the pain, and screamed deep into the castle walls. That was only the first scream of that night.

* * *

**END CHAPTER**

**Words: 10,991**

* * *

Author's Notes:

Hope you enjoyed the chapter!

Last chapter ended a small arc of the story, which is largely the beginnings of the story. This is the second arc, which introduces new characters and two new places: Qarthic and Rubinia, both of which I'm more excited about exploring than Termina or Hyrule. Rubinia is quite like Spain, and Rubinian (the language) is quite like Spanish. Qarthic is a golden city located in a jungle, similar to the Mayans. I've always had these two locations in mind, but never really mentioned them until now. I know, sloppy planning.

This chapter introduced four new characters: Lord De'Groot, Alesandor Vypren, Janos Rodra, and Sir Lucion. Lord De'Groot is power-hungry, and has sparked several rebellions against Zelda's father in the past. His keep is located southeast of Zora's Domain, and between his keep, Zora's Domain, and the mountains, the highlands of Hyrule are created. Prince Ralis is the warden of the highlands, but Lord Tybalt De'Groot has been attempting to usurp that title for quite a while. Alesandor isn't much more than a boy who believes in his own religion, away from everybody else. Is his religion correct in the mythical world? Who knows. All of the religions practiced in this story have some form of validity to them. Finally, Janos Rodra is a crazy old man who was in line to become King of Koholint. Not only did he pass it on to his son, but he passed on the title to his youngest son. Ever since then, he locked himself up in his chambers, seldom coming downstairs and never outside of the castle. He takes care of Koholint's diplomatic relations in Manni's place. Sir Lucion is a knight of the Hylian Knight's Guild, and serves as the chief of Lord De'Groots militias. He serves as a character designed for you to hate. And for good reason, in which his story coincides with what's happening in Rubinia.

There are two academies where knights are legitimized after years of training at the places: the Citadel and the Hylian Knight's Guild. The Citadel is located on a small island between Hyrule and Termina. It's highly prestigious, and sons of nobles are often sent there, but for a steep cost. The Hylian Knight's Guild scouts the major urban areas of both Hyrule and Termina, allowing it to recruit the best talents in the two kingdoms for almost nothing. There is _one_ key difference, however, in the sense that the Citadel also trains doctors, and is the only place to do so. Most doctors are hired privately by nobles for their own people; few are available to the general public.

As usual, reviews are appreciated. This story doesn't seem to be successful enough to garner reviews, even though it appears that I've gained a following on this story. As a result, I'm probably going to focus on my second story for now. Stay tuned for that!


	9. Kindred

Author's Notes:

Hope you'll enjoy this chapter! Of course, if you don't already know, I do have the prologue for another story of mine up, if you'd want to check it out.

Last chapter did change up the game a little. Before a full year, Zelda, Juste, and Felipe (who you'll meet this chapter) will all die if Alesandor saves Colin from the boy's impending doom. Will Zelda die? That's part of the suspense.

And no, Manni isn't Link's father (that would be horribly, horribly, cheesy in my opinion). Manni's third child will be revealed later on, and when I say later on, I mean MUCH later. Link's parentage will be discussed in the story as well. I think. But what I do know is that Link's story will become quite interesting when he's at Sarkotten, otherwise known as the City of Gold.

* * *

**CHAPTER 9**

**Kindred**

* * *

**Desmon Ferdinant**

Trumpets. Drums. The whole of Rubinia shook with music, day in and day out. This was undoubtedly the case in the capital of the lands, Jeriachi. Of course, war still on the horizon, with the House Vypren attempting to usurp Rubinia right from Desmon's brother, Felipe. _Now is a time of peace_, Desmon always told himself. _Our enemy is destroyed._

Now was a feast among the nobles in Rubinia. Whether it was to celebrate the most recent victory against House Vypren, or the fact that Lord Edwer changed hands, proclaiming allegiance to Felipe, Desmond simply did not care. There was enough money to cover as many feasts as he wanted to. The Bank of Rubinia, run by Felipe's most trusted advisers, made quite a profit from the war overseas, far away in a land called Hyrule. Hyrule Castle borrowed money many times to fuel their war effort, and have begun to pay it off, with interest. _Life is good. Exceptionally fair._

Desmon was a knight, and quite a prideful one at that. While he was in no way exceptionally talented, he was Rubinian, where the weapon practiced was the spear, instead of a sword. That itself set him apart from other knights in prowess, and he had won a great number of tournaments in distant lands because of that. He was called the Black Dragon by those who faced him. His name grew feared in other kingdoms. And one day, he fought against Lord De'Groot's heir, Seba. During the fight, Seba became critically wounded, and crippled with a devastating blow to the son's knee. _  
_

Sir Desmon Ferdinant could not help but think about the story. It crossed his head every day. the way Lord De'Groot looked at him after battle. "I don't want to see your face here," the lord said, "or I'll have it hung on my walls." Seba was not as upset, and quickly forgave Desmon. Even so, relations between House Ferdinant and De'Groot may never form. _Not within my generation, nor within my son's generation. _

But it _is _entirely fair to say that Lord De'Groot had his revenge. Before his eyes, Desmon saw his wife, Elenna, killed and so too was his one year old son the day before they left Lord De'Groot's tournament. _He had his revenge._ Before his own eyes, Lord De'Groot's knight, Sir Lucion, killed his wife and son. _He had his revenge. _It's been seven years; _time I had mine._

None doubted the fact that the Black Dragon would kill Sir Lucion the moment he could, but Felipe urged caution. "Killing him will lead to full war," Felipe once told his younger brother. "Perhaps Hyrule Castle would become involved."

Felipe Ferdinant, the King of Rubinia, was conversing with his own wife, Siarra. Every few moments, Felipe eyed at Desmon, who appeared in a deep state of thought. At one point, Desmon started to shake uncontrollably, dropping his plate on the cold marble flooring of Felipe's castle. It shattered, into a thousand pieces.

Desmon's brother caught him as he was about to fall. The Black Dragon looked his brother in the eyes. Desmon's eyes pleaded for mercy. Revenge, perhaps. After a moment, the Black Dragon stood up again. His breathing was heavy. "I want revenge. I've wanted it for the past seven years, damn it!"

Felipe turned his head around. The nobles all remained quiet, and stared. "And you know it's not that easy," Felipe quietly whispered. There was no need for anybody else to know what had haunted the Black Dragon. Although Rubinia's king had a suspicion that everybody already knew. "What you want will be yours in due time, brother. I assure you of that. We just have to choose the right path."

The Black Dragon looked his brother in the eyes. Bloodshot eyes. "I see two paths before me. One easy and well traveled. The other path is not there yet; I have to make it. The second path is narrow and full of self-doubt, but I swear, that is the path I take. For that... that is the path of revenge. It will be hard, and I will fail many times, I will doubt myself, but I will not stop. I will have vengeance. There is a difference between living and existing," Desmon whispered, "and I will live. Felipe, as a brother, a king, and a hero, in the sight of men, women, and the Goddesses, promise me that when my time comes, you shall not hold me back."

"The second path it is, then," Felipe whispered back. "I shall not hold you back. But you must exercise patience." He turned to face the nobles, who watched the whole thing. _Hopefully they did not hear this_, Desmon thought to himself. "The feast is now ended, and I shall escort my family to our chambers. Take as much of the spare food as you can carry, please. The harvest has been bountiful, the farmers, merchants, and kings smile the same at this time."

Felipe escorted his wife, Siarra, and his three children: Thom, Marianna, and Ferro through the long hallways. Desmon followed closely behind.

Seeing Felipe's family only upset Desmon more. It reminded him of the fact that he had none. _Not anymore_. Thom was the oldest male, making him the heir to his father's legacies in most cultures. However, in Rubinia, the oldest child became the heir, regardless of gender. Thus, Marianna was the future queen to the land. Ferro was of a different breed than Thom or Marianna. She was a child with no name, nor parentage. Graciously, King Felipe took her as one of his own kin. Admittedly, Desmon considered adopting a child as well, but that never came into fruition. _Not today; not any day. _

Desmon turned around, and left for his own quarters. He could hear the whispers of the lords and ladies near the main halls, wondering what that conversation is about. "The poor old boy's been out for revenge for seven years," he imagined Lord Edwer telling others. "Sir Lucion, captain of Lord De'Groots knights, killed his wife and son."

_I will have revenge._ Gathering his courage, he appeared, once again, in front of the crowds at the feast. Few touched food, but many were talking. Many of them turned their heads upon seeing him; almost all of them did so upon hearing him. "What was that about?" Lord Sendro called out. He was a young man, tall, handsome, galliant... and owned a small keep, west of Jeriachi.

However, seemingly everybody else knew the answer. Lord Edwer spoke above everybody else's voice. "We're sorry for your loss. The Goddesses are cruel."

The Black Dragon shook his head. _Lies. All, lies. You're not sorry, nor do you speak for the Goddesses._ "If the Goddesses were cruel, then I would have been my mother's firstborn, and Felipe her second. That way, blood of my enemies would have spilled seven years ago, if not sooner. Felipe is a different beast, tamer, yet just as ruthless, mind all of you," Desmon said. "He thinks about every word he says to a system. Every consequence, saying, prayer, thought - he thinks about the results."

"And it's working," one of the lords marveled. "Our enemies are near vanquished, we are nearing an age of peace."

"We shall not have peace until _my _enemies are gone." Desmon took a moment to relax himself. "I shall set sail to Hyrule soon. There, I shall take what is mine, by blood and fire."

"Does King Felipe know of this?" One of the voices dared to ask.

"I know," Felipe's voice emerged from the door, and so too did his body. He stood triumphant, tall, and a king. "We're setting sail soon. Elenna's soul will forever be at peace." Desmon smiled, and hugged his brother. The two embraced, and sealed it with a handshake.

"As I stare into death's eyes I will not turn my head. I will steady myself for the coming end but before my battle has ended, Sir Lucion shall know sacrifice and pain, as my Elenna finally departs in peace. Victory is reserved for those who have suffered, and on this day, at this moment, no man has suffered greater than I," the Black Dragon whispered to his brother.

* * *

**Zelda Harkinan**

Zeal was still at work. _The entire night_, Zelda had observed. His small, dainty feet lifted him through the flooring of Hyrule Castle, as he sent letters and recorded numbers and did the normal stuff the chancellor did. Of course, Zeal's work ethic was the main reason why her father appointed him as chancellor. Zeal's father was a lowly man in Rubinia, coming to Hyrule for new opportunities. _Too bad the old man died before seeing his son succeed._

With a sigh, Zelda rubbed her eyes, preparing for the long day ahead of her. However, her eyes still felt heavy from such little sleep. It was common knowledge that the royalty of Hyrule Castle did not manage the country's affairs themselves, but left that to a second man that they could trust. For Zelda's father, that man was Zeal. Zeal had single-handedly doubled the profits that Hyrule Castle garnered - actually, it was Shad who was the treasurer, and did so. But it was Zeal who decided to appoint him there. Zeal also appointed Auru as the headmaster of Hyrule Castle, and was responsible for the daily upkeep of Hyrule's gem. Ashei was supposed to be the assistant commander of Hyrule City's civil enforcement, but turned it down because of her quarrels with the commander himself. Zelda often found it amusing how the political battle in Hyrule Castle seemed just as serious as the battles fought against their own enemies.

Somebody knocked on her door. "Come in," Zelda said. "It's open... I think." Slowly, the maid entered Zelda's chambers, carrying a large basket between her arms.

"Zeal sends for you," the maid said, looking at Zelda's feet all the while. Not once did the girl, not any older than thirteen, look upon Zelda's face, which remained groggy. "I mean the Chancellor. Pardons, my queen." Zelda quietly nodded, and watched the maid awkwardly do the housework, tidying up the room. There was little to be done, besides scrubbing, since most of Zelda's possessions were packed only a few moments ago.

On her dressing table lied one of her dresses, which Zelda was not particularly fond of. The maid took it in her hand, and folded it clumsily, attempting to hang it in her closet. However, despite each fold, it would not stay hanging, and fall to the wood. Time and time again, the maid kept on failing. "Here," Zelda finally said, standing up. She took the dress from the maid's hands, and folded it herself, and it hung perfectly. "How old are you, may I ask?"

"Fourteen."

"I'd recommend learning this, and learning it quickly." Zelda looked again at the folded dress. She took it away from the closet, and unraveled it, before the maid. "Let me teach you this. You'll need it later, trust me." She took the arm sleeves of that dress, folded them inward, "like this," she said. The maid clearly seemed uncomfortable.

"Thank you, my queen, that's generous of you. Pardon, but Zeal wants to talk to you. But I thank you for the effort, and encouraging me to learn more." With a respectful bow, the maid took over. Zelda gave a quick glance. The maid continued to struggle. _That can't be helped, I suppose._

Instead she prepared herself, and went upstairs to Zeal's own quarters, high above, in one of the highest towers in Hyrule Castle. He was there, conversing with one of the commanders of Hyrule Castle's militia. The commander turned to face Zelda, who stood at the door, and he stood up as well. Silently, he left the room. "I trust that you're ready for the day, my queen," Zeal immediately said.

"It's Zelda. You've no need to call me anything else," she scoffed, taking a seat, "nobody else does, anyways."

Zeal continued to write in his book, but briefly looked up to see her. "But I've need for formalities. That's what keeps Hyrule running. Law, order, obedience, that sort. If I named Lord De'Groot to be Tybalt every time I saw him, I doubt he would just shrug it off." Zeal took a sigh, and glanced back at her again. "Speaking of Lord De'Groot... apparently he's captured the son of Juste Valle."

"Why don't you call him King Juste, if we're using formalities?"

"Because our enemies do not warrant our respect. Also," Zeal flipped the page, and wrote a new title on the next section, "he did not tell us. This happened days ago, and if he planned to tell us, then he would have by now. Fortunately, we have birds there who like to sing songs."

_What a world where we spy on our allies_, Zelda thought to herself. "We should approach them about this. It'll tell them that they shouldn't be holding secrets away from us. Keeping Lord De'Groot diplomatically weak means that he stays on our side." Zelda placed her right hand on the oak table. "He's supplied too many men for our cause for us to lose him to Manni, or Juste, in this case." Zeal nodded. "And may I ask of the situation in Sarkotten?"

"Ah, yes, yes. There are four names you must remember, my queen." He looked at her, and maintained eye contact. "These four are the generals of Sarkotten. The first one is a tall male, about your age, and his name is Jora. He's the generalissimo of the city, which is the highest military rank there. Essentially, he is the ruler of the city, but upon death, it goes to the second highest ranking general of the city. She's a short, old woman-"

"Sounds like your kind of woman," Zelda giggled.

Zeal gave her a glare. "I'm married."  
_  
_"Since when? To who? Why did I never hear about this?" Zelda began attacking Zeal with a list of questions, until the most relevant one came last. "Why did... why don't you ever take a vacation to see her?"

"I have a job," Zeal scoffed. "My family comes second. Came, rather. We had two daughters. Despite her pleas to come home and see the children, to take care of them, and feed them, I refused," he said, "because I have a kingdom to feed. She grew fed up with me, so she found a new man who would love her and care for her, the way that I never did." He stood up, placing the book in an empty shelf on one of the walls. Even though the shelf was not fairly high up, Zeal had some difficulties because of his short stature. "My job does not permit me to take vacations. Anyways," he turned to face her, forcing a weak smile, "the second general's name is Nersian. Know her name well."

"What is your wife's name?"

Zeal gave her an angry glare. "That is highly irrelevant." Yet, upon looking at Zelda's face, Zeal could tell that she would ask again. "Her name was Dianne. My daughter's name is Zelda. I named her after you. Please, don't take that as offensive in any way. After so many years of taking care of you, yours was the only name that I could think of when she was born." He gave a nostalgic smile at her. "I truly enjoyed teaching little Zelda how to ride horseback. However, those were the days where I had such time on my hands, and my only job was keeping Hyrule Castle clean and looking after you. After being appointed Chancellor, I was too busy for my family. I was too busy to keep Hyrule Castle clean and orderly. Undoubtedly, the one I regret the most: I was too busy to watch you grow up."

_No wonder father wanted me to keep him as Chancellor. He's lost everything already._ "I'm sorry for that, truly."

"Don't be," Zeal said, giving a smile. "My old family has found a new father, who cares for them with all of his heart. Auru keeps this castle clean, even when he's across the continent. And you've become a fine young woman, worthy to be King Harkinan's daughter." He sighed, and opened up a new book, hundreds of pages thick. "The two other generals of Sarkotten are also female. Their names are Jacquelyn and Ayleth."

"So Jora, Nersian, Jacquelyn, and Ayleth are the generals there?"

Zeal nodded. "Know their names. It doesn't look good otherwise. And the third matter of business: Rubinia. Doubtless that Alesandor's family will not ally with us any time soon, after what's happened two days ago. Perhaps that's for the best. But that _does _mean that we have a common enemy with the Ferdinants, the ruling family of Rubinia."

She gave a smile. "An enemy of my enemy is a friend."

"Exactly. I aim to make peace with House Ferdinant while you're away, since we share the same enemies. However, King Felipe's brother seeks revenge on the commander of Lord De'Groot's knights, Sir Lucion. King Felipe's brother, Desmon, claims that Sir Lucion raped Desmon's wife, then killed her and her child afterwards."

_The Black Dragon_, Zelda thought herself. Everybody knows who he is. Desmon was feared all over the world. A single wrong step with him can lead to a person's death. "Is there any truth to those rumors?"

"I doubt it, but there's no arguing with Lord Desmon. He claims he's always right, even when he's wrong. We _could _always pin the death of his wife on one of Lord De'Groot's dead knights, but Lord Desmon would still not believe that. Some of our birds say that Desmon is going to sail to Hyrule soon, to kill Sir Lucion. Even if Sir Lucion does die, we likely have an alliance with the Ferdinants." Zeal gave a warm smile. "Look alive, my queen. We are winning this war. With King Ferdinant, Prince Ralis, and perhaps Generalissimo Jora on our side, we even out the battlefield. Soon enough, one of these pretenders shall surrender. The other two will follow shortly afterwards."

"But only if we ally with Sarkotten." Zelda said. Zeal nodded.

"Have you packed up? I'd say that it's time for you to say goodbye to your friends, comrades... whatever you'd call them. Take what you can with you, including rupees and guards. Be wary, my queen," he said, just as she stood up. "Do not take too many. We want to make ourselves seem trusting of them."

"And if we can't trust them?"

"I've known Jora for many years. He's been a general since he was eleven. He's been Generalissimo since he was sixteen. Jora is not one to betray anybody. If he did not wish to ally with us, then he would not be welcoming us to his city. Take Link with you. He should be enough." Zelda nodded, but Zeal continued to speak. "Jora is unmarried. Technically, so are you, my queen. Take Link with you, as that should keep him from asking for your hand in marriage. But he still may do so. Just decline him if he does." Zelda nodded, and left Zeal's quarters. However, just before she left through the doors, she turned again.

"And what of the royal laws that state that a Harkinan must always remain in Hyrule Castle? As far as I'm concerned, nobody wants Seto on the throne."

Zeal chuckled, "your father had a great deal of illegitimate sons. Most have died in young ages, but one is here, in Hyrule City. His name is Theos. Quite a nice boy, I should add. He may not have the family name, but he has your father's blood, which is good enough."

The firelight made Zeal appear slightly younger, and with it, easier to spot. Typically, he looked down when lying. Zelda did not know whether he was lying about the boy's legitimacy, name, or whether he was nice or not. And frankly, she had more pressing matters to concern her."Traditions are a waste of time," her father had always told her.

The trip down the long flight of stairs was not nearly as demanding when Zelda was going _down. _Up was the real problem. Down the winding passages, and the main halls of Hyrule Castle opened up in front of them. Still, some people were fixing the castle walls, which stood weak, even though Shad assured her that they would still stand. In the main hall was Impa, who smiled at Zelda upon noticing the queen.

"Good morning, my queen," she said.

"Zelda. Call me Zelda."

Impa shrugged. "Old habits die hard, I suppose. But you will know that Sarkotten's people are eagerly awaiting your arrival, and we've prepared for travel to the docks. There, a ship that many name unsinkable will take you to the Golden City."

"Excellent. I trust security is the best?"

"I've selected Hyrule Castle's best warriors to escort you there. Among them are Link, Petar, and a few others. Zeal has given me specific instructions to bring everybody except you and Link back with us."

_Of course he has,_ Zelda thought to herself. She did not dare say that out loud, however. "I'm saddened that you do not consider yourself one of Hyrule Castle's best warriors. However, I must go. Thank you, Impa."

Zelda left to go to the carriage, where Link, Petar, and a few older men were packing up the last of her bags. "Of course, my queen," Impa said while Zelda walked away. The queen gave her a joking glare, and the two of them shared a laugh.

* * *

**Manni Rodra**

Manni's own ship, the _Wildfire_, was preparing to dock on the harbor of Sand Port. It was Koholint's largest ship, and rivaled even the best ships that Termina had to offer. It was fully painted white, with wooden flooring all along it. It could easily hold a few thousand men aboard, with additional cargo. Manni was quite paranoid about bringing it anywhere - he considered it a decoration piece - because it was made out of wood. Despite the fact that it could sink any ship with ease, it too could be taken down. With a single well-placed shot, an arrow could burn through the _Wildfire__'s _boards to down it. She was slow, and a huge target for any opposing fleet on the sea.

"Drop the anchors!" One of the crewmen shouted at the top of his voice. Instantly, anchors dropped on either side of the _Wildfire_. Manni stepped up from the depths of the ship, to look at Sand Port. The harbor looked quite excellent. Despite the harsh desert conditions, flowers were littered along the streets, and not a single beggar to be seen, unlike Koholint. _I was right to put Aman in charge of this city_, Manni thought to himself. A bridge was placed from the side of the ship down to the docks, where soldiers lined up either side, prepared to let Koholint's King pass.

He shield himself away from the blazing sun as he walked the streets of Sand Port. Despite how close the city was to Koholint, the difference in climate was astounding, to say the least. On the other side of the pier was Aman, who stood there, smiling. He approached her, obviously displeased with how hot the city was. Despite having built Sand Port from the ground up, Manni had not once stepped on the land. Aman, however, appeared perfectly satisfied in the sun.

"Hello Uncle," she said. "Allow me to show you the mayor's hall." Together, they walked, bodyguards behind them. People on the street went to either side, immediately sensing that the two were quite important. Aman's was a face most of the residents knew, being their mayor. Few knew what Manni looked like, so they did not realize that they were mere steps from the king.

"You've grown darker," Manni said, staring at her complexion. Perhaps two months ago, she was as fair as any princess was. Now, she resembled the natives of this land with copper skin. But, admittedly, her blonde hair complemented her slightly darker skin color.

She brushed some of her hair away from her face as a gentle breeze kicked in. "Uncle, here is a land where the sun never truly sets. Winter does not arrive here. You can only imagine how hot this place becomes during the summer time." Manni shuddered to think of that. Just ahead lied the mayor's home - Aman's home and work space.

The inside of the hall looked quite modern. With a dark red carpet covering each and every floor of the office, along with men and women who were signing documents and the such. "The literacy rate of Sand Port is nearing fifty percent. In comparison, Hyrule Castle has a literacy rate of eight percent. The average citizen here earns a few hundred more rupees than any other place in the known world. Aside from Rubinia and Sarkotten, of course." Finally, the two of them reached Aman's office, where the guards simply waited outside of the large room.

Aman took her regular seat, where she signed the many incoming papers and outgoing documents. Several cups of water, coffee, and other drinks littered her desk, some empty, some full, some still hot, and others that have cooled down. Behind Manni was another desert man, with copper skin. "Should I see for our guest to have a drink?"

Aman nodded. "Uncle, this is Auru. He's been my personal assistant, and served me loyally. Auru, fetch the both of us some coffee," Aman said, tossing some of the glasses into a bin. Auru bowed, and went to collect the coffee. "And he's a spy," Aman smiled. It was obvious, almost to the point that it seemed to mock her intelligence. And, even if Auru was not a spy, well... he was still a liar, and needed to be disposed of immediately. "He works for Zelda. Call it a hunch."

"Are you sure?" Manni asked, tilting his head. "Why did you not kill him, or imprison him?"

"It's not nearly as much fun if somebody isn't watching. That's why I've been waiting for you." Aman took out a veil of silkis syrup from her desk, and held it up for Manni to see. "One drop stops a headache. Four drops puts one into a deep sleep. Nine drops puts a person into... a permanent sleep, I suppose." She looked around; Auru still was not there. "Distract him when he puts the coffees on the table."

After a moment, Auru came into the room, a mug of coffee in either hand. "Place them on the table," Manni instructed him. Auru did so. "Tell me, your name is Auru, correct?" The elderly desert man nodded. Manni glanced at Aman, who poured an entire veil of silkus syrup into one of the mugs, and stirred it to the point that the syrup could not be seen. "Auru, I think that you deserve some coffee yourself." He took the coffee mug from Aman's hands, and offered the contents to Auru.

"Thank you, but I really shouldn't," Auru said, attempting to give the cup back to Manni.

Manni would have none of it. "No, no, no. You _deserve_ it." Aman was quite surprised that Auru did not appear suspicious of Manni, even after her uncle clearly emphasized the word 'deserve'. Auru lifted the mug to his face, and began to drink from it. _Perhaps he deserves to die, if he's so trusting of others._

Auru lifted the glass down. He attempted to place it on the table, but the farther he outstretched his arm, the farther the table appeared to be. The elderly man dropped to the ground, down on his knees. He stared blankly at Manni, and attempted to speak, but uttered no words. Next, his face began to droop. The only think keeping him up were his hands. Those wobbled on the ground. Auru's eyes turned white, closed, and never opened again. He dropped on the ground, motionless.

"Truly a scary way to die," Aman observed. Manni nodded, staring at the dead body. "Guards!" she yelled, and three came from the door outside. They all stared at the dead body as well. Aman did not have to tell them to clean the body up. They did so before she commanded that. "I'd have to find a new assistant, preferably one that won't stab me in the back," Aman grumbled. Too many times did she catch a spy in Sand Port. The city seemed to be a hub for information from the known world, and it all ended up in a small city that had torturous weather conditions. She herself took the other coffee, and drank from it. "That reminds me, uncle. Ramsi's assistant proved himself to be a skilled warrior, besting even King Bulbin. I wanted to appoint him as one of your royal guards, but your _demon_ of a nephew promptly refused."

_Son_, Manni wanted to correct her. _I'm your father, and his equally. _But he dared not say it. Instead, Manni sighed, "such is his case, I suppose. His assistant does not concern me. What does concern me was of your performance at Hyrule Castle two days ago.

"Of course, Uncle," she smiled, and took another sip of the coffee. "Like you said, I did not kill them. Although I don't understand _why_, considering Zelda was right there, in the flesh. I could have reached out and felt her hair, if I wanted to."

"We have honor. Enough honor that we fight our enemies on the battlefield. After the battle, our enemies surrender, and we imprison them, or execute, depending on the crimes. We do not go and murder people at their feast," Manni said, standing up. "These are the ways my father taught me. And his father was taught as well." Manni sighed, "they got the message?"

"We are not down, nor are we out." Manni nodded.

The king sat down once again. "Where is Ramsi?"

"Building the ships, like you asked," Aman immediately responded, "and I must complement him on his work in building the three warships. However, he is far above budget, as of completing the second one. He is in the midst of building the third one using a loan," she explained. She brought out a document. "If he needed a loan, I thought he would come to me for one. Even though he knew that I would tell you about the whole situation, there would be no interest on the loan, nor would money be escaping our hands. But," she began, and showed him a piece of paper. "He applied to the Bank of Rubinia under your name, hoping that I would not notice." She gave a slight chuckle. "Of course I'd notice. I'm notified of any money transaction this large."

"That's a wise thing to do on your part. His part... not so much." Manni gave an unsatisfactory sigh. "What I'd give to be King of Rubinia right now. That kingdom is making quite a profit on _our _war." His niece did not seem interested. Instead, she patiently waited to hear Ramsi's punishment. "Bring me to the boy."

Just as Aman had hoped, Ramsi had still been there, working. He himself was helping to lift the pieces of wood, slowly building the ship. Manni stood there, arms crossed, watching his son work, side by side those he had contracted. By himself, Ramsi lifted up one of the pieces of wood, perhaps twice his own length, and carried it up the ramp, towards the ship. One man graciously took it from his arms, and nailed it into the side of the ship. Ramsi smiled triumphantly. _Tornado _was coming all just as he'd hoped. Stepping down the stairs, he stopped dead in his tracks. Aman, he could deal with. His uncle was not the case.

Manni waved up the document. Ramsi gulped, as he knew exactly what was written on the piece of paper. That, however, did not stop Manni from reading it. "To the First Bank of Rubinia: I, Manni Rodra, wish to take a loan of four million rupees to complete work on a warship." He lowered the paper to look his nephew in the eyes. In an instant, the loan document was crumpled, and littered on the ground. "I did not write that."

"Four million rupees is quite negligible, in my view." After all, it wasn't too much, considering the fact that other warships costed several times more than that.

"Your lack of budgeting is something I can overlook. Your poor management skills is something I do not care about. _However_," Manni began, a vein sticking out of his neck. "You lying is not something I can overlook. We are family, for the Goddesses' sake! Tell me, what makes family? What. Makes. Family?" Ramsi had no response. "Family are the people you _die_ for. They are not people you leave in the dirt, you do not lie to them, nor do you perceive them as enemies!" He paused. "You were supposed to lead my armies after this. Lead us into victory."

"That's all I'll ever be, isn't it? A puppet, a slave; no! I am not a king, nor am I a general. I'm not destined to be a Rodra, to serve the family name, and you know it! I'll spend my days building ships, and so be it, because I am as happy as a man can be!" Sunlight gleamed golden in the stiff wrinkles that framed Manni's face. A vein pulsed in his neck, but he did not speak. And did not speak. And did not speak. The strained silence went on until it was more than Ramsi could endure. "Uncle..." he began.

"You are not my family." Manni turned his face away. "You say you are a shipbuilder, and only that. Very well. Go do your duty."

**Harra Valle**

Ilia was given a fine dress, embroidered of intricate materials. She did appear moderately happy, being treated how a guest should have been treated. Harra had been given his own suit, a fine change from the more modest attire he usually donned. Of course, when Sir Lucion handed the suit to him, Harra only cautiously reached out, scared that when he was in the right distance of the knight, Sir Lucion would stab a dagger into Harra's stomach. And smile, that wretched smile. _I'd never forget the way his face droops when he smiles._

But Ilia seemed happy, and that was all that mattered right now. The complaining was particularly bothersome - but to be fair, he was complaining just as much as her. She complained of wanting to go back to Ordon; he complained about the coldness of the early winter air. Yet her doubt was fair. Even he wanted to go home. Harra was given fine food, water, clothing, hot water, and other privileges, but something was off. _Why treat an enemy so nicely?_ More than once, Harra wondered if it was a tradition here to honor everybody who enters their house. And every time he realized that was not the case.

The night had been particularly gruesome for Harra. He could hear Ilia in the room next to his, somewhat snoring, which was part of the reason he did not sleep. However, every time he closed his eyes, he could see Sir Lucion's face again. The Beast, some of the guards had nicknamed the burly man. He'd often overhear stories of his brutal killings from guards casually walking around, and the name popped up more than once or twice. _The Beast._

The seconds turned into hours, and the hours turned days. Three days, to be exact. It's been three days since he'd left his room. Despite the fancy blankets and food brought to them, they were, in essence, still prisoners, stupidly caught. They deserved worse. And a sick, twisted part of Harra's mind craved to the worst, just so they could not fear what happens to them, and instead, accept it.

Now Harra was awake, and placed his feet on the cold stone ground. Despite the fire that lit the room, the cold air dominated. He put on more appropriate clothes for the day, hopeful that maybe, just maybe, he would be given leave to exit Lord De'Groot's castle. Then, Sir Lucion came himself. "Come," was the only word he muttered, in his low and gruff voice. For once, Sir Lucion kept the door open long enough for Harra to follow him. Outside of his room, he saw that Ilia was also standing there. "Lord De'Groot wishes to see you."

Down the flight of stairs, Lord De'Groot stood, the tall, balded man he was. He remained beside his garden, just as they had found him three days ago. But Harra could not blame the man for spending so much time in the garden. If Termina could grow such beautiful plants once again, he would undoubtedly spend more time in Termina's court, planting and caring for them himself. Alas, years of constant warring have degraded Terminian soil to the point that few trees can still survive. Tybalt De'Groot turned, glaring at the two of them.

"My lord, as you asked," Sir Lucion said, pushing the two of them forward.

"It appears that we have a spy in this very castle," Tybalt immediately said, frowning. "That saddens me, as it hinders me quite a bit. Sir Lucion, investigate the legitamacy of our knights at once, if you may." Sir Lucion bowed, and left.

_Hinders what? _"I'm sorry, what does it hinder?" He asked.

"I _was_ hoping that I could ransom you for quite a bit. Perhaps a few galleys, or a few dozen. Gold, political alliances, and the sort. Anything I wanted, in short. However, a bird sang, and sang it did, for Hyrule Castle is getting involved. They want you. No doubt so that _they_ can have the galleys, gold, and alliances," Tybalt scoffed. "This is why I hate all of this spying that goes on. It's dishonest and cowardly. The real way to test a man is to go to war."

"Or a woman," Ilia answered. Tybalt nodded.

"It truly is a rare thing to see a woman ruling, however. Unless, of course, it's Rubinian culture. That's what makes Zelda's succession line so interesting," Tybalt gave a smile. "Normally, when a king has only a daughter, and no sons, the king's brother becomes the heir. That technically means that Seto is the rightful king. Really makes you wonder who actually deserves the throne, does it not? The late king's will stated that his heir was Zelda, but we still follow Hylian laws, where Seto should be empowered instead."

"The ruler is not the one with a fancy title, or the gender. The ruler is chosen by the people."

Lord De'Groot began to pace himself, thinking. "You are quite right," Tybalt said, "yet that brings another debate. If the power to bestow the king is in the hands of the people, then why can the people not take the crown back?" He paused, and stretched. "I like these short conversations. Gets the mind thinking. Ilia, is it?" She nodded. "You know quite a bit about politics for a peasant."

Ilia flushed. "I'm - I'm not a peasant," Ilia retorted. "I'm not a peasant!"

"You certainly dressed like one when you invaded my hunting grounds," he turned to face Harra. "You also dressed like one, but you're royalty. Quite strange. Borderline idiotic, I'd say."

"I'm not a peasant!" Ilia shouted once more. "My father is Ordon's mayor!"

Judging by Lord De'Groot's reaction, this was news to him. "Oh?" Tybalt asked. "Are you aware of what happened to him?" Ilia shook her head. Tybalt frowned. "Then I shall not bother you with such facts." The sunlight piercing into the castle shun on Ilia's face, which showed Harra that she was truly worried. _She already knows_. Perhaps not, actually. Late in the night, yesterday, two guards were talking about Bo's death. Ilia was most likely asleep by then.

Ilia clearly wanted answers, but Tybalt wanted none of it. He simply waved his hand. "Guards," he called out. Before Harra could react, two knights gripped his arms, and another held onto Ilia.

"Let me go!" Ilia cried out, but it was to no avail. She continued to squirm, but the knight was resilient, and gripped her arms. She kicked him at the knee, which made him stagger backwards slightly, but it only angered him, since he tightened his grip on her. "Let me go!" She repeated.

Harra, however, did not fight. If he somehow managed to escape, then somebody else would catch him. _The Goddesses are kind_, he assured himself. He did nothing wrong; and no harm shall come to him. At least, that was the hope. Lord De'Groot smiled. "We're going to Hyrule Castle. You'll be treated as... honorary guests, I suppose. This is under the Chancellor's specific orders. Come," he said, walking outside, into the hilly landscape. There was no questions about why the northern parts of Hyrule were known as the Highlands.

"You're making a grave mistake," Harra warned him. "My father will hear about this."

"And he shall not do anything. That, I promise you. Now walk." Harra was loaded on a horse, his hands tied. Ilia was placed on another stallion, and a whole squad of knights, on horseback, came to guide them. Lord De'Groot smiled. "Give Zelda my warm regards. I'll be at Hyrule Castle before the night is dark, so I'm counting on you." It was quite a sinister smile. He turned his head and started to walk back inside of the castle. Just until they rode off, Harra kept his sneer directed at Tybalt. Lord De'Groot afforded a smile before going back inside.

**Impa**

The walls were strong, and remained strong, even after the countless bombs that shook the very foundation that stood for thousands of years. Impa herself had helped to lay the bricks to support Hyrule Castle, since there was little else to prepare for. Zeal had advised her to to let Link protect Zelda in a distant land, and despite Impa's begging, pleading, and other attempts to keep her watch on Zelda, Zeal had prevailed. She turned around, tired of doing such menial tasks, such as carrying stone to build the walls. _I'm a guard. Let them do the work._

Impa walked along the gardens of Hyrule Castle. Some of the flowers had been picked by citizens, who volunteered to rebuild the once great stone walls. However, some of those people stole objects like vases from inside of the castle, or picked flowers from the gardens. Either way, a few rotten apples do not ruin the entire tree, as the common saying went.

"Master Impa," a soldier called out, emerging from the corner. "I come bearing urgent news from Lord De'Groot. He has brought two prisoners for your leisure."

_Interesting choice of words_, Impa thought to herself. One does not describe the act of handling prisoners as leisurely. Suddenly, a small wave of guilt swept over Impa. Bruno had a family - or, he said he did - but that didn't stop her from placing him in the hands of the most sadistic man in Hyrule. _No, he deserved it._ "I'll see to it immediately." The soldier gave a nod, and continued on what seemed to be a stroll. However, just before he turned a corner, Impa spoke again. "And please, do not refer to treating prisoners as leisure." The soldier once again nodded, and disappeared out of sight. She, however, scoffed.

Down the garden, and to the entrance of the castle, Shad stood, directing the workers as they built. _Something seems wrong. _The walls were never built in such a fashion. "Why are you changing the structure of the walls?" Impa asked him. "It's been the same for thousands of years, and it'll stay the same for thousands to come." She raised her arm. "Unless, of course, I have something to say about it."

"The walls were structurally unstable, even before the siege. Placing the walls on a slight inwards slant will fix the problem, I'm sure. It'll prepare us for another siege infinitely better."

Impa frowned. "And what do you know about war?"

He shrugged. Shad was no soldier, and his father was only middle class, meaning that Shad had no actual engineering question. Impa did not expect a response, so the sharpness of his words was mildly surprising. "I know enough about war to decimate Termina's navy. And I know enough to design Kakariko's castle-"

"Hardly a castle, I'd say. More of a tower."

"It still holds up rather well, even after seven years of it being slowly chipped away by Seto's idiocy." Shad smiled. "Your armour lies on your body. Mine lies inside of my mind."

Impa had no choice but to nod. She left the premises, and subsequently, Shad to his work. Only after a few moments, she located the two prisoners, and a whole barrage of knights. _Must be pretty important prisoners. _Doubtless that Zeal knows who they are. The boy looked much more calm than the girl. Although neither of them dared do anything, the girl shook out fear. Perhaps nervousness. "What is your name?"

"Harra," the boy answered. He looked at the girl. "She's Ilia." Impa nodded to the knights, who left on horseback. Only the boy and the girl stayed. And both were in ropes. "Can you untie these ropes? They're starting to burn my wrists."

"Will you try running away?"

"He'll try, no doubt," Ilia said. "But he won't make it very far. Halfway through Hyrule City, he'll start complaining about how it's too cold, and he'll find a place to rest." Harra shot her a glare. "It's true. We've been in ropes since we were in Lord De'Groot's keep. I'm sure we can manage a little bit more."

Impa felt a hand on her wrist. Since Zeal was too short to comfortably touch her shoulder (Impa was quite tall for a woman, and Zeal was short irregardless), he always touched her wrist for her attention. "Well met, Impa. Thank you for watching over my guests."

"Guests or prisoners?" Harra raised an eyebrow.

Zeal shrugged, and guided the two inside. "A little bit of both, I suppose." Impa followed closely behind. "As you might have known, Lord De'Groot wasn't particularly happy about dropping the two of you here."

Harra spoke, ushering confidence in his voice, "he'll be here soon enough. No doubt Tybalt will want to see us properly accommodated in the meanwhile."

The old man turned to face Harra. "So you're on a first-name basis with him?" Harra reddened. "Don't play games with me. That's not going to help you whatsoever. Now come," Zeal said, and escorted them up five flights of stairs through one of Hyrule Castle's towers. The stairs were stone, unstable, and the entire tower was dark. But eventually, a room was at the top that appeared close to new. "Harra, is it? This is where you will be staying. Sir Ilys will be your chaperone. You will be an honourary guest of Hyrule Castle until I decide what I want to do with you."

_But not at your leisure, _Impa thought to herself. She felt quite uncomfortable with Zeal's decision to put the son of King Juste in a nicer place than his kind deserved, and just a single knight following the boy. "Chancellor, perhaps you should reassess their worth. If an 'accident' happens and they escape-"

"Then we'll catch them again. And _that _time, they will be in chains, I assure you," Zeal cut her off. "But I feel that these two should be dignified. Girl," he said, turning to face Ilia, "are you his sister?"

"Betrothed," Ilia immediately answered. "I am Ilia, son of Bo, the Mayor of Ordon." This had caught Impa off guard. _Why would he marry such a girl? Ordon wasn't particularly powerful, and Juste could have found him a much better match._ But that was only the first thing that crossed her mind. She contemplated revealing the fact that Bo was dead, his funeral done days ago. _Better I tell her, rather than she hears it from the wrong person. _Hyrule Castle was filled to the brim with gossipers.

"Quite a way to spend a honeymoon, then. Anyways, on the opposite side of Hyrule Castle are your chambers. I myself shall escort you to there." Zeal outstretched his hand, and she took it in her own. "Come. Oh, and Impa... check if Lord De'Groot is here."

Impa gave a quick glance at Harra. The boy held out his hands, still roped at the wrists. She took out her own blade, and within a moment, his hands were free. "Thank you," he croaked, clearly tired. "Thank you." She said nothing, but glared. Harra gulped, closing the door behind him, and leaving the tower dark.

"Know one thing, boy," Impa called out. No response. But she was sure he can hear him. "If you _ever_ act smart... I'll rip your guts out, in the most agonizing way I know how."

* * *

**Rusl Valle**

According to some of the people Rusl had conversed with, Juste was beside his unconscious wife for three days. _Three days. _He'd forgotten to eat and sleep at times. According to those people, he just sat next to her, clutching her hand. Occasionally, Brandon also stayed, but Rusl had seen him around the castle at times. _Time to pay my respects._ Rusl sighed, and entered their room. The doors were closed, but not locked. As he entered into the room, Juste did not turn around. He just held Yul's palm with both of his hands. His eyes were focused only on her face.

And despite the constant _thut_ that was made every time Rusl walked on the stone floors, it only hit deaf ears. "Brother," Rusl finally said, looming over Juste. His brother simply sat on a stool. "Brother," Rusl said again, this time louder. Juste turned around, his face droopy, and his eyes bloodshot of a red. _You don't look like a king. You barely look human_, Rusl silently thought. He would not dare utter that out loud, however.

"Do you know... how it feels to lose what you loved?" Juste asked. He looked terribly confused, and the firelight made him appear older than ever. Yet, so much more confused. Rusl shook his head.

Rusl took a seat at the foot of the bed. "But what I do know is this: Termina needs their king back," he said, looking at Yul. "Now is the moment where you decide what's best for you. Who do you _truly _serve? Your wife, or your kingdom?"

Juste couldn't help but smile. "I've asked myself the same question every day, for the past three days. Sometimes, I'm scared that I'll forget my duty. That I shall wither away in the darkness of this room. And other times, I'm scared that I'll forget her. Rusl, I can't forget her. What if she wakes up?"

"We've had hundreds of doctors arrive from the Citadel already. Every one of them says that Yul is in a permanent state of coma. Come, your people need a king."

Rusl once again sighed. Juste still looked at him. "First I need some sleep, and a proper goodbye." Rusl nodded, standing up. With a respectful bow, the swordsman left his brother and Yul. Down the stairs, and to the main halls of Termina Castle, people were finally taking it upon themselves to fix the kingdom. After three days without instructions, multiple problems surfaced, such as high food prices, and a rebellion by a group named the Agents of the Night. But now, everybody seemed to be doing their own share. Colin was taking care of Brandon and Melina. Blackthorne was managing Termina's fleet, just as Rusl had appointed him to.

A tap on his right shoulder. Rusl turned around, only to see a boy, wearing a crown made out of birches. "Greetings, my old friend."

"Do I know you, boy?"

The boy gave a smile. "I am Alesandor Vypren, the rightful heir to Rubinia. And you are Rusl Valle, correct? We _are_ related, by a marriage two generations ago, I'll have you know."

_How does he know me?_ "I'm sorry, but I'm afraid that I don't know you. And I am busy at the moment, if you'd understand." Rusl turned around. _How do such fools enter the castle?_ But Alesandor followed him. After a few more steps, Rusl faced the boy again. "Look, you're a boy, wearing a crown made of sticks, and you claim to be related to me. Keep on following me, and I'll have you thrown out of the castle myself," Rusl said. "It's a wonder you got into the castle in the first place."

"I'm here to help you," the boy responded. "You and your son Colin _need _me. Please, you need to come with me or else-"

"I beg your pardon? How do you know my son? Never mind me throwing you out of the castle; another stupid thing that comes out of your mouth, and I'll slit your throat and throw you in the ocean."

"You'll die soon. You and your son as well," Alesandor responded. "I'm trying to help you, I pray that you understand that. Nevertheless, I shall leave. Thank you for your time. I bid you farewell. _For now._ But remember my words, and remember them well. You'll need me, if you value your life, or that of your son."

"Leave!" Rusl drew out his dagger. Alesandor backed away, disappearing behind a corner. "And the next time I see you, I shall not be so kind."

* * *

**END CHAPTER**

**Words: 9,434**

* * *

Author's Notes:

More of a transition chapter, than anything else. But there _were_ some fairly interesting parts, I suppose. Anyways, please review!


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